Germany’s caretaker finance minister, Joerg Kukies, has indicated that lawmakers could move to boost defense spending even before the new parliament is officially sworn in next month.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, Kukies stressed the importance of strengthening Germany’s defense capabilities, particularly as part of bolstering the European pillar of NATO. He emphasized that the parliament, although in a caretaker role until the new government is formed, still has the mandate to decide on potential defense agreements.
“Strengthening our defense effort in the course of the next few years is something extremely important,” Kukies said. “We do want to strengthen the European pillar of NATO.”
However, he also noted significant budgetary constraints, citing a “several billion” euro hole in this year’s federal budget, which would need to be addressed in ongoing coalition negotiations. The discussions between Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc and the outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) will be crucial in determining how to resolve this issue.
Merz, who won Sunday’s election, has been in talks with the SPD about potentially financing up to €200 billion ($210 billion) in defense spending through debt. Although Merz confirmed the discussions on Tuesday, he refrained from confirming the exact amount of investment under consideration.
Despite the discussions, there is controversy surrounding the idea of using the outgoing parliament to approve significant spending measures, especially after a new parliament has been elected. Critics, including the far-right Alternative for Germany party, have expressed concern over the legitimacy of such actions.
Saskia Esken, a co-leader of the Social Democrats, voiced her skepticism in an interview with RTL/n-tv, stating, “It’s difficult to justify to voters,” and emphasized the need to find a consensus for the country’s future.
With coalition talks expected to be concluded by Easter, Germany faces a critical period of negotiations to form a new Grand Coalition. Until then, Scholz and his current cabinet, including Kukies, will remain in caretaker roles.
