Ursula von der Leyen has to adjust to deletions in defense projects. According to SPIEGEL information, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has decided that the defense budget should rise much more moderately in the coming year than demanded by the minister.

Instead of the registered 47.2, the SPD minister wants his CDU colleague only 44.7 billion euros. In 2019, the Leyens budget comprised 43.2 billion - instead of a desired plus of four billion euros, it only gets 1.5.

The outlook is also bitter for the minister. Originally, their budget should increase to 2023 to almost 55 billion euros. Now, however, the defense ministry is also to be considered in the coming years only with part of the requested funds.

With consequences: From the Leyens Ministry it has been said for weeks that one or several of the major arms projects must be canceled if it does not receive the requested additional billions. On an internal strike list are already new transport helicopters, which are urgently needed. Also the planned multi-purpose combat ship MKS 180 and a modern missile defense for the troops are endangered.

Von der Leyen had on Monday at a dinner of the Union Minister in the Chancellery once more for a significant increase in their budgets in the next few years advertised and detailed how urgently the Bundeswehr needs the extra billions to modernize the weapons systems. In addition, she stressed that Germany can only comply with its commitments to NATO with its financial planning.

Chancellor warns to save

The Chancellor, however, does not seem willing to intervene in the budget plans of the Minister of Finance. If the statements about the confidential meeting were correct, Merkel made it very clear, but clear that all the ministries would have to save due to the collapse in tax revenues and the less rosy economic outlook. A special regulation for the Defense Department seems unlikely after the meeting.

Von der Leyen seems to have come to terms with this defeat; at any rate, unlike other ministries, she has not agreed on a so-called "boss talk" with Scholz. In her house these days it is said that the minister has insisted on a clear backing of the Chancellor in the budget negotiations. Without them, a direct conversation with Scholz would be pointless.

CLEMENS BILAN / EPA-EFE / REX

Angela Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, Olaf Scholz

At Scholz's figures, there may be, if anything, only cosmetic changes. So Scholz von der Leyen could concede that his department will accept possible wage increases for soldiers and civil servants. However, this was so common in recent years and would save from the Leyen only an additional minus in their budget.

Germany has to break NATO's promise

Within NATO, Germany has to adjust to beatings. As one of the main arguments in favor of their demands, von der Leyen always states that this is the only way to maintain Germany's commitment to NATO to spend about 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on the Bundeswehr by 2024. The US in particular, but also many EU partners are harassing Berlin massively.

The promise seems completely unrealistic. The funds provided by Scholz are only sufficient to stabilize the share next year at 1.35 percent of GDP. But none of the partners should accept this. At the latest at the meeting of foreign ministers on the 70th anniversary of the Alliance in Washington, the Zoff should flare up again.

Officially, the so-called basic parameters for the budget will be decided by the Cabinet on March 20 and then announced. Before meeting on Thursday evening, the coalition committee with the party leaders of the CDU, CSU and SPD on the subject. However, it seems unlikely that someone from Leyen will jump into the breach.

For this reason, the troupe is already preparing for a tough austerity program for the coming years. A defense minister spokesman did not want to comment on Wednesday's tough budget negotiations.