Germany’s Greens say they won’t support the prospective next government’s plans to loosen debt rules for defense spending and draw up a huge infrastructure investment fund
BERLIN — Germany’s Greens, whose support is needed for the prospective next government’s plans to loosen debt rules for defense spending and draw up a huge infrastructure investment fund, said Monday that they won’t support the package as things stand.
Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who won last month’s German election, is trying to put together a coalition with outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats. Last week, the two sides said they would seek to exempt some defense spending from the nation’s tight self-imposed rules on running up debt, an issue of growing urgency as doubts increase about the U.S. commitment to European allies.
They also want to set up a 500 billion euro ($533 billion) fund, financed by borrowing, to invest in Germany’s creaking infrastructure over the next 10 years and help restore the economy to growth.
Their plans will need a two-thirds majority in parliament because Germany’s “debt brake” — which allows new borrowing worth only 0.35% of annual gross domestic product — is anchored in the constitution. And they are tryin