March 7, 2025 (EIRNS)—The outgoing German parliament will vote on the planned militarization budget in the range of €400 billion (which partly overlaps with the EU plan) on March 18—that is, five days before the newly-elected parliament will constitute itself. A first reading of the bill, which is accompanied by another €500 billion bill for infrastructure, will be held on March 13.
Whether the main initiator of the bill, Christian Democrat and likely new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will get a two-thirds majority for the plan is still uncertain. The Greens are unwilling to vote for it without major corrections in the infrastructure bill. They want no money dedicated for highways, and insist on substantial funding of costly climate-protection projects.
The Greens increased the pressure on Friedrich Merz in a press release on March 6, Thursday afternoon, warning him that if he does not make concessions, he “would have to talk to the AfD and Linke to get a majority.” Without the Greens, the Merz bill has no two-thirds majority.