Federal Parliament - Green party leader critiques Eurofighter flight by Merz
Green party chairwoman Ricarda Lang criticized Union fraction leader Friedrich Merz's flight in an Eurofighter combat jet during a Luftwaffe visit in June. "That's rather thoughtless. Over 100,000 Euro should have been spent on the troops instead of personal adventures and self-staging", Lang wrote on the Internet platform X.
She was obviously referring to the government's response to a parliamentary inquiry by Left parliamentarian Cornelia Möhring on the costs of the flight. However, the Defense Ministry emphasized in this response that the costs of 111,242.38 Euro were not in addition to Merz's flight: "These costs would have also arisen... because the Eurofighter training flight took place in routine flight operations and would have also taken place without the presence of Mr. MP Friedrich Merz with the same flying contents."
Left parliamentarian Möhring spoke of "waste of funds": "Merz flew instead of the budgeted flight hours of a Luftwaffe copilot who stayed on the ground for Merz."
Merz had completed the flight when he visited the Eurofighter airbase Laage in June. The hobby pilot flew parts of the route himself, but the command was in the front cockpit of the Luftwaffe pilot. The aircraft broke the sound barrier during the flight.
Lang on X
- Ricarda Lang, from the CDU's rival party, Alliance 90/The Greens, expressed her disapproval of Friedrich Merz's Mitflug in an Eurofighter combat jet in Berlin.
- During a Luftwaffe visit in June, Merz, a prominent figure in the Federal Parliament and the Federal Military, took a flight in an Eurofighter, sparking criticism from Lang.
- Language argued that the 100,000 Euro spent on the flight could have been used to support the troops, implying it was a frivolous expense for personal gain.
- Merz's flight was a subject of debate in the Federal Parliament, with Left parliamentarian Cornelia Möhring referring to it as a "waste of funds."
- The Defense Ministry responded to a parliamentary inquiry by Möhring, stating that the Eurofighter training flight costs would have been incurred regardless of Merz's presence.
- Despite the controversy, Merz completed the flight at the Eurofighter airbase Laage in June, with parts of the journey piloted by him and the command in the front cockpit of the Luftwaffe pilot.
