(de-news.net) – Jens Spahn, Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction, does not rule out the possibility of the debt brake being reformed with the current Bundestag majorities. He stated that there is a financial need for the Bundeswehr until the 2030s and that the next Chancellor attending the NATO summit in The Hague in June must be able to credibly demonstrate that two plus x percent of the GDP is allocated for defense. Failing this, transatlantic relations, particularly with Washington, would suffer.

Spahn emphasized that this is the starting point for discussions underway, with Friedrich Merz set to lead talks. The decision will be reviewed in the coming weeks. Spahn criticized the previous federal government for failing to implement necessary changes. Beyond the €100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr, virtually nothing changed in the budget under the red-green coalition, which suggested to Germans that everything would continue as before, contrary to reality.