The first and probably decisive step has been taken: the coalition gets the necessary opposition votes for an amendment to the Basic Law. A billion upgrade of the Bundeswehr is getting closer.
On Friday, the Bundestag approved the amendment to the Basic Law for the Bundeswehr special fund with the necessary two-thirds majority. In a roll-call vote, 567 MPs voted in favor of the amendment to the Basic Law. There were 96 votes against and 20 abstentions. Equipment deficits in the German armed forces are to be remedied with an additional 100 billion euros.
However, this is only finally decided after the approval of the Federal Council – the decision is scheduled for next Friday.
The planned wording of the new Article 87a:
“In order to strengthen alliance and defense capabilities, the federal government can set up a special fund for the Bundeswehr with its own credit authorization in the amount of up to 100 billion euros. Article 109 paragraph 3 and Article 115 paragraph 2 do not apply to the credit authorization. The details regulate federal law.”
Top politicians from the coalition and Union faction had previously campaigned for the 100 billion euro special fund to strengthen the Bundeswehr. “This is the moment when Germany says: We are there when Europe needs us,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens). “The money is well invested in peace and security in our country,” said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD).
“On February 24, we woke up in a different world,” Baerbock recalled in the debate about the amendment to the Basic Law required for the special fund to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to which the government wants to react with the special fund. Russia’s brutal war of aggression is creating “a new reality in Europe”. This means that the precious good of peace and freedom “we also have to defend it militarily”.
Lambrecht: The Bundeswehr has been run down in recent decades
With a view to equipping the Bundeswehr, something that has not been addressed for years is now being made up for, Baerbock referred to non-functioning tanks and a lack of protective equipment. At the same time there will be a reform of the procurement system. The minister regretted that, due to the resistance of the Union, cyber security was not also included in the special fund.
In view of the Russian war of aggression, Germany must face the fact “that security has its price and we must be prepared to defend our values militarily,” Lambrecht said.
The Bundeswehr had been run down over the past decades. “We are laying the foundation for putting an end to this shortage of management,” emphasized the Defense Minister. Germany owes this to its soldiers and “we also owe it to our allies”.
“Russia’s attack on Ukraine marks a historic turning point,” said Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). Germany has long benefited from a supposed peace dividend. Now you have to learn anew “that we have to strengthen our defense capability anew in every generation”.
Left criticizes special assets for the Bundeswehr
When criticizing the new debt for the special fund, Lindner replied: “The alternatives would have been worse in this economically critical phase.”
Because of the required two-thirds majority, the amendment to the Basic Law also required the support of the Union. “Today is a good day for Germany’s ability to form alliances and defend itself,” said parliamentary group leader Mathias Middelberg (CDU).
“It is a necessary and important step that we restore our country’s defense capability,” Middelberg said. He emphasized that it was thanks to the Union that the 100 billion euros were actually being used exclusively for the Bundeswehr.
A strict no to the special fund came from the left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch. “What could you do with the 100 billion euros,” he said, for example for a better education system. “Out of state political responsibility, we vote unanimously in the negative,” Bartsch clarified. The upgrade associated with the special fund is “amazing”.
Source: Stern
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