Special funds: Reactions of FDP and Greens on the plans

The government is not yet, but the leaders from Union and the SPD have already agreed on a joint project. On Tuesday evening, Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Markus Söder (CSU) as well as the SPD bosses Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken presented a comprehensive financial package for defense and infrastructure.

The debt brake is to be relaxed for defense spending, and a special fund for the repair of the infrastructure is to be created with 500 billion euros. This will be voted on in the Bundestag in the coming week – still in the old composition of the parliament. Since the Basic Law would have to be changed for this, a two-thirds majority is necessary. The Union and SPD would need the voices of Greens or FDP.

The FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr made it clear that his faction rejected the project. Germany has to do much more for its defense. “But debts for everything without meaning and mind are irresponsible,” wrote Dürr on X. “My impression: Merz is already shy away from real reforms before he is a chancellor.” The Union broke “a central campaign promise”.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), until the break of the traffic light coalition, emphasized: “The youth will pay the bill.” Merz makes “a financial policy on the left of the traffic lights”. FDP-Vice Wolfgang Kubicki said that one could talk about resolutions to strengthen the Bundeswehr. However, he could not agree to an “infrastructural carte blanche of the parliament for the federal government”. The procedure of the Union and SPD ordered Kubicki as “false democracy” and compared it to the measures during Corona pandemic.

The Green Bundestag faction reacted up to a wait-and provides conditions. “We don’t get anything here,” said co-faction leader Katharina Dröge in the “focal point” of the ARD. Union and SPD should move on questions of climate protection. You will have to “take a closer look at the suggestions”.

Dröge was disappointed that Friedrich Merz had not looked for a conversation with the Greens in advance. The Greens also see the plan to say goodbye to the constitutional change in the old Bundestag. In the new parliament, the SPD, Union and Greens no longer have a two-thirds majority, AfD and LINKE have a so-called blocking minority, with which they can block changes in the Basic Law. The FDP is no longer there in the new Bundestag.

AfD boss Alice Weidel accused Friedrich Merz of having lied to the voters in the election campaign. She and her co-boss Tino Chrupalla also sharply criticized the project to coordinate the newly elected Bundestag before the newly elected. This will disregard the will to voters.