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Federal Finance Minister Lindner: “After 2028 we will have to find other solutions”
Photo: Anna Szilagyi / EPA
Increasing the share of defense spending in the federal budget is out of the question for Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner. The NATO target of two percent that has now been met "is sufficient" given the size of the German economy, said the FDP politician in a discussion before the official opening of the Munich Security Conference. These expenses are already a challenge for the period from 2028 - by which time the 100 billion euro special pot for the Bundeswehr will have been spent.
Lindner warned against looking for a solution in further debt. “After 2028 we will have to find other solutions,” he said. In Brussels in particular, it is “a sport” to see the answer to every problem in mutualized debt. Lindner spoke out in favor of a uniform market in the EU for arms manufacturers and joint procurement. Ultimately, economic growth is also crucial for defense performance.
The FDP federal chairman reiterated his call for “investment in freedom”. After the end of the Cold War, the prevailing view was that Europe no longer had to defend itself and could, above all, engage internationally and expand the welfare state. It is now also a matter of reversing this process.
eru/dpa/AFX