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Germany has suggested that it could boost defence spending to 5% of GDP, putting the country in line with US President Donald Trump’s demands. <\/p>\n
Trump has long urged NATO partners to increase their military expenditure. Initially, he wanted to see each country spend 2% of GDP on defence, but the figure late rose to 5%. <\/p>\n
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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke about the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Turkey, where talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to take place. <\/p>\n
Wadephul said for the first time that Germany would follow the US President’s plea to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are following him there,” Wadephul said. <\/p>\n
Why the change of heart?<\/p>\n
Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democrats (SPD), distanced himself from Trump’s higher demand, explaining this year that \u201c5% would be over \u20ac200 billion per year\u201d. <\/p>\n
The federal budget \u201cdoes not even amount to \u20ac500 billion\u201d, Scholz said in Bielefeld in January. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat would only be possible with massive tax increases or massive cuts to many things that are important to us,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during the election campaign that GDP percentages were \u201cnot expedient\u201d.<\/p>\n
At an event in early January, he explained that \u201cwhether it’s 2, 2.5 or 5%, to be honest, that’s only of secondary importance to me”. <\/p>\n
‘The strongest army in Europe’<\/p>\n
For Merz, it is crucial that Germany invests more in its army, which is known as the Bundeswehr. <\/p>\n
In his first government statement on Wednesday, Merz said it would become the \u201cconventionally strongest army in Europe\u201d. <\/p>\n
The Bundeswehr currently lacks personnel. Nevertheless, there will be no compulsory military service for the time being, confirmed SPD Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. <\/p>\n
Military service will continue to be based on voluntary service, inspired by the Swedish model.<\/p>\n
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To change this, the new German government would require two-thirds of politicians to back it in the Bundestag, a majority which it does not have.<\/p>\n
The leftist Die Linke or The Left party, which currently has 64 members in parliament, is opposed to compulsory military service. <\/p>\n
Ates G\u00fcrpinar, the party’s deputy federal chairman, told Euronews: \u201cThe Left Party rejects compulsory military service. The suspension of conscription in 2011 was a great success for the conscientious objection movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
This means that the German government can only pass a new conscription law with the votes of the far-right AfD party, whose election manifesto stated that conscription should not be for women.<\/p>\n
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