Germany's chancellor front-runner rejects new NATO spending target

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Jan 2025 14:34

Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not contributing enough and suggested a higher defense spending requirement during his campaign.

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Friedrich Merz addresses the audience during a campaign event for Brandenburg's regional state elections on 4 September. (AFP)

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who is expected to become chancellor following next month's election, stated that while Germany will increase defense spending, he would not commit to the NATO defense spending target proposed by US President-elect Donald Trump.

"We first really have to reach the 2% lower limit in Germany. We are not there yet," Merz told Bayerischer Rundfunk on Wednesday in response to Trump’s call for NATO members to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense.

"The 2, 3, or 5% [targets] are basically irrelevant, the decisive factor is that we do what is necessary to defend ourselves," the leader of the Christian Democrats, who is favored to succeed Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said.

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Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not contributing enough and suggested a higher defense spending requirement during his campaign. NATO projections suggest 23 out of 32 members will meet the 2% GDP target by 2024.

Markus Soder, leader of the CSU, the Christian Democrats' Bavarian sister party, and a former chancellor candidate stated that military spending must increase significantly, "well over 3%."

Germany currently meets NATO's 2% defense target through a special fund, but there is uncertainty about maintaining this level after the fund runs out in 2028.

Pressure from Trump and the war in Ukraine have reportedly made defense spending a key issue in Germany’s upcoming parliamentary elections on February 23, just a month after Trump takes office.

Merz has suggested that Germany could cover future defense spending increases without a special fund, while German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, the Greens' chancellor candidate, proposed aiming for a 3.5% target, which he said could only be achieved through loans.

Dirk Wiese, deputy leader of the Social Democrats in parliament, criticized Trump’s demand, calling it "complete madness," and also opposed Habeck's proposal, echoing Chancellor Scholz, who dismissed it as "somewhat half-baked."