The concerns about buying “loitering munitions” from the Berlin defense start‑up Stark, in which ultra‑right US investor Peter Thiel is involved, appear to have been allayed for the SPD faction. SPD finance policymaker Andreas Schwarz told the “Tagesspiegel” that the defense ministry and Stark have settled the outstanding questions around the investor. From his perspective, nothing stands in the way of SPD approval on the budget committee this Wednesday for two drone procurement proposals worth a combined €4.3 billion. “Thiel has no operational influence. That was important to both Parliament and the minister” he said.
Earlier in the week, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had made his concerns explicit, insisting that ownership clarity must be established before approval. Sources in the Union say that CDU and CSU members also plan to back the procurement package.
Green finance minister Sebastian Schafer criticized the ministry. Last week it had submitted a report stating that “according to the company, Thiel’s stake remains below ten percent and the government could intervene if it were higher”. “Rather than conducting a careful internal review, the ministry almost unfiltered adopted the company’s statements” he told the “Tagesspiegel”. “Such complacency is not only confusing but, given the security‑policy context, highly problematic”.