The statements of the US ambassador Richard Grenell to the federal budget meanwhile also occupy Chancellor Angela Merkel. At the conference "Global Solutions Summit" she rejected Grenell's criticism of German defense spending. The share of gross domestic product has risen steadily in recent years, despite the growth of the economy, said the CDU politician. She wanted to "adjust something."
Grenell had criticized Germany for divesting two percent of its Gross Domestic Product for defense, given its financial planning. He accused the federal government of wanting to cut its "already unacceptable" spending. That was a "worrying signal". FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki then called for the expulsion of the US diplomat. Carsten Schneider, Parliamentary Director of the SPD, said: "Mr Grenell is a total diplomatic disaster".
According to the budgets of Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD), the share of defense spending in the gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.35 percent is expected to increase slightly in the coming year to 1.37 percent, in the years to 2023 then back up to 1.25 Percent go back. This is explosive because the government is actually targeting 1.5% of defense spending on GDP by the middle of the decade.
In the long term, Germany has even committed itself within NATO to aim for a share of 2.0 percent. The US keeps calling on Europeans, and especially Germany, to spend more money on armaments and NATO.
Merkel also wants to focus on crisis prevention and development
Merkel now pointed out in Berlin that the so-called NATO quota should continue to rise in the coming year - namely to 1.37 percent. The Chancellor also warned against taking medium-term financial planning as a benchmark. Merkel spoke of "minimal data" with a view to medium-term financial planning. Crucial, however, are the real expenditures for the respective year. According to experience, these would always be corrected upward.
Merkel also referred to the stated goal of the Federal Government to reach a quota of 1.5 percent by 2024. Germany will continue its efforts, but not at the expense of development aid. Merkel also said it would be wrong to focus only on defense spending and military. One must also rely on crisis prevention and development. Germany was one of the largest donors to the Syria Conference.
One also had to ask what proportion of the military budget would be made available to NATO. Historically, the claim of the United States as a great power is different from that of Germany.
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Union parliamentary director Michael Grosse-Brömer (CDU) said that if Grenell already had to comment on the German budget, then he should also keep "the wide view". "In terms of foreign assignments and international responsibilities, Germany lives up to many obligations and is very committed." Among other things, Grosse-Brömer referred to the Bundeswehr mission in Mali or the mission in Afghanistan, where Germany is the second largest troop contributor after the USA.
CSU National Group chief Alexander Dobrindt formally rejected Grenell's interference. In terms of content, however, he also criticized Scholz's medium-term planning in defense matters on Tuesday. The remarks of Grenell would have "no effect at all", because the Bundestag here can give any advice along the way, said Dobrindt. The budget was "a sovereign decision of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Bundestag".
This has nothing to do with the content of Grenell's statements, but with the form, Dobrindt said. The CSU wants to fulfill the alliance obligations. For this reason, they demand a significant increase in the defense budget in the future.
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