The Bundestag, the German Federal Parliament, has given up on the brake on debt with a constitutional vote to finance military expenses and in infrastructure. 513 votes were favorable and 207 against. Schuldenbremse, as it is called at home, is a constraint introduced by the then Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2009. The clause prevented German debt from climbing over 0.35% per year. A containment of public spending no longer current, according to the next chancellor Friedrich Merz, with the new geopolitical challenges. To pass the reform, the majority of two thirds were required, numbers reached thanks to the covenant between CDU/CSU, SPD and Verdi. For the entry into force, the last passage from the Bundesrat, the Chamber of States is missing.
Merz’s plan
The vote at the Bundestag arrived at the last useful session for Merz. In fact, the German parliament will now meet in the new composition decided by the last federal elections. A formation where there is the block minority of the far right of alternative to Germany and the radical left of Die Linke, contrary to the plan of the next chancellor. Which, on the other hand, could take advantage of, as he did, the majority of two thirds of the parliamentarians thanks to the votes of CDU/CSU, SPD and Verdi. Merz’s plan provides for the establishment of a 500 billion euro fund to be used in 12 years. The program consists of a series of investments aimed at improving German infrastructures. But the reform will also allow to spend over 1% of the German GDP in the defense sector, about 45 billion euros, without taking into account the brake.
