Steinmeier advocates for increased defense funding.
Typically, the Federal President steers clear of all things political. This time, however, Steinmeier breaks tradition and aligns with Defense Minister Pistorius.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged the Federal Government to allocate more funds towards the Bundeswehr. "We need to step up our efforts for our security," stated Steinmeier during the state event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, as outlined in his pre-circulated speech.
In response to the ongoing argument between the traffic light coalition about military spending, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has proposed an increase of at least 6.5 billion euros to the defense budget. Pistorius suggests that the additional defense costs resulting from the Russian incursion of Ukraine should be excluded from the debt brake. So far, both Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have objected to this idea.
Traveling against the grain, Steinmeier has stayed out of naming specific political figures or referring to the current defense budget. "We need to put more money into our defense and bolster our alliance," he said in a general approach as recorded in the speech text, "This entails financial resources."
Steinmeier also reiterated his support for the debate regarding mandatory military service, much like Pistorius. "National security and societal resilience are inextricably linked. Therefore, we should not avoid the conversation about forms of military service and other communal services," mentioned Steinmeier, in support of his colleague indirectly.
The Federal President acknowledged that the extra spending on defense policy he's advocating for is a divisive and socially contentious matter. "I believe that this is the second significant task looming in the coming years. We must prepare ourselves for this: There will be more disputes in the coming years, not fewer. The tussle for financial resources will intensify as well," declared Steinmeier.
The Basic Law was declared 75 years ago today, coming into effect the following day. May 23, 1949, also marks the inception of the Federal Republic of Germany. Steinmeier's speech is a crucial component of the state ceremony held on Thursday in Berlin. A democracy festival is set to take place from Friday to Sunday, commemorating both 75 years of the Basic Law and 35 years of the GDR revolution.
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- Olaf Scholz, as Chancellor, has yet to fully endorse Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' proposal for an increase in defense funding, despite Steinmeier's advocacy and the ongoing tension in German defense policy due to the attack on Ukraine.
- In the spirit of the Basic Law, Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the German government to invest more in their defense, drawing parallels to the GDR era where the country placed less emphasis on its defense.
- Despite their disagreement on the defense budget increase, Christian Lindner, the Finance Minister, and Steinmeier share a common goal when it comes to national security, as both have supported the discussion about mandatory military service.
- Participating in the democracy festival commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law and the 35th anniversary of the GDR revolution, Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized the importance of Germany strengthening its alliance and defense, highlighting the unsettling geopolitical climate due to the Russian incursion in Ukraine.
Source: www.ntv.de
