Germany's Friedrich Merz faces rocky road to lift debt brake rules
Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz wants to alter Germany's strict fiscal rules to massively boost defence spending, the Greens are standing in his way.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/13/germanys-friedrich-merz-faces-rocky-road-to-lift-debt-brake-rules
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Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz wants to alter Germany's strict fiscal rules to massively boost defence spending, the Greens are standing in his way.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/13/germanys-friedrich-merz-faces-rocky-road-to-lift-debt-brake-rules
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, urged lawmakers on Thursday to loosen
00:06the country's strict debt limits to increase defense spending.
00:10Merz says his multibillion-euro proposal to reform Germany's debt break is essential to
00:15ensure national and European security.
00:19... the constant attacks on our infrastructure, drone raids on our barracks, a hybrid war
00:28that is taking place, which has escalated massively in recent weeks, with insecurities
00:34that are bigger than ever before.
00:37We have to do something now to significantly increase our defense capabilities,
00:44and in great foreign and security policy closeness.
00:50The proposal comes amid growing European worries over security after U.S. President Donald
00:55Trump's shifting foreign policy stance that's been highly critical of Europe.
00:59The German debt break is currently limited to a maximum of 0.35 percent of GDP.
01:05Merz's proposal, if passed, would see it exceed the 1 percent mark.
01:10He also wants to set up a 500-billion-euro fund to invest in the country's aging infrastructure
01:15over the next decade.
01:17The proposal sparked criticism in the German Bundestag.
01:22No applicant for the chancellorship has broken so many election promises in such a short
01:28time as you, Mr. Merz.
01:29Debt break, get out of here, even though it was in your election program.
01:34You will go down in history as the grave digger of the debt break that you so vehemently
01:41defended in the election campaign.
01:45Germany's debt break was written into constitution in 2009 at the height of the global financial
01:50crisis.
01:51Merz, alongside would-be coalition partners, the Social Democrats, need the support of
01:56the Greens in parliament to meet the required two-thirds threshold.