In a recent interview with the German news magazine “Spiegel”, the Green Party’s candidate for Chancellor, Robert Habeck, expressed his intention to finance the initially proposed increase in the defense budget through new credits, rather than by cutting the budget for citizens or raising taxes. Habeck emphasized that the additional funds for the Bundeswehr should not come from the current budget and not through cuts in the citizen’s purse, suggesting instead the adoption of new debt to finance the increased military spending. According to Habeck, the new debt would be a short-term measure to mobilize the necessary funds to restore Germany’s security capabilities.
Habeck’s proposal for a 3.5% defense budget, equivalent to approximately 140 billion euros, is a significant increase from the current 2% of the country’s GDP, which is around 50 billion euros, not including the 100 billion euro “special fund” that is expected to be exhausted by the end of 2027. The special fund is not part of the regular defense budget, which currently stands at 50 billion euros.