The candidate for the post of Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, from the winning conservative bloc CDU/CSU, stated that European countries need to be ready for the possibility that they will have to create a defense alliance to replace NATO due to the position of the new US administration, emphasizing that he "never thought" he would have to say such a thing. However, after statements by US President Donald Trump and his associates, it "became clear that the American administration cares little about the fate of Europe".
Merz suggested that changes might occur even before the North Atlantic bloc summit, which is scheduled for June. "I am curious whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form, or whether we will have to create an independent European defense structure much faster," said Merz in an interview with ARD.
At the same time, the future chancellor, as a result of the elections, faced serious obstacles in increasing defense spending in the largest European country, after parties opposing the arming of Ukraine gained enough seats to prevent the easing of strict restrictions on government loans in the country, writes Financial Times.
According to preliminary election results in the German parliament, the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) and the left-wing party Die Linke together gained more than 210 seats necessary for a "blocking minority" in the German parliament. This gives them the right to prevent any changes to Germany's "debt brake"—a rule enshrined in the constitution in 2009 to limit government borrowing and maintain a structural deficit at 0.35 percent of GDP. The same condition applies when creating a special off-balance fund, such as the 100 billion euro fund announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022 to finance the modernization of the German armed forces after Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian partner the Christian Social Union, as well as the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the "Greens"—together received around 65% of the votes, missing the chance to become a constitutional majority.
Merz stated that, in his opinion, he will be able to find funds to finance investments by reducing social benefits and stimulating economic growth, but many analysts believe that such measures will not be sufficient. If Merz still decides to reform the debt brake—possibly as part of an agreement with coalition partners such as Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the "Greens," who support the reform—the results of Sunday mean that he will have to navigate a complex political landscape.
"AfD" and the "Left Party" oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO and increasing arms supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Photo: EPA