Germany eyes 3.5% GDP defence boost to counter threats
The Minister of Economy and Green Party candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, advocates for increasing Germany's defence spending to 3.5% of GDP over the next few years. "We need to spend almost twice as much on defence so that Putin does not dare to attack us," he told the weekly "Spiegel".
Habeck emphasised that with such defence expenditures, Germany can ensure peace and prevent further conflict.
According to the Minister of Economy, additional spending on the German army should definitely not be financed from the current budget or through cuts to citizens' incomes. Such a large sum - according to Habeck - "can ultimately only be financed through loans." The politician proposed either reforming the so-called debt brake or creating special funds.
The Minister of Economy and the military
Habeck declared in an interview with "Spiegel" that today he would join the Bundeswehr. He admitted that during the Cold War, he refused military service, but now the situation is different. "Today, I would no longer have any moral argument to refuse. An aggressor like Putin exploits weakness ruthlessly," said the Green leader.
The current NATO goal is for member countries to invest at least 2% of their GDP in defence. According to the latest NATO data, Germany has allocated approximately £75.2 billion for defence in 2024, which corresponds to about 2.1% of the country's GDP. Last year, only four out of the 31 NATO countries (aside from the USA) likely reached the three percent level.
