Posted on 08/16/2023 12:06:40 PM PDT by mac_truck
BERLIN, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO's 2% military spending target on an annual basis, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.
A corresponding clause in a draft of the budget financing law passed by the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday was deleted at short notice, the source said.
The change means that Germany will be able to stick to its current pledge of meeting the 2% target on average over a five-year period.
This wording is softer than Scholz's original pledge in a speech on Feb 27, 2022, in which he announced a "Zeitenwende" or sea change three days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"From now on, we will invest more than 2% of the GDP into our defence year after year," Scholz said at the time.
A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the particulars of the draft law.
NATO allies have criticised Berlin strongly in the past for not spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defence annually.
It is unclear whether Berlin will keep military spending over this threshold once a 100 billion euro ($101 billion) special fund to bring the Bundeswehr back up to standard is used up.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
They love Putin after all. Wont spend on their own defense.
Useless Hun bastards…
They want the losses from Biden Inc blowing up their natural gas supply pipelines back.
The EU is fracturing, not just Germany whose manufacturing sector is destroyed- a very predictable outcome when you ally yourself with a corrupted, senile old man in the White House…not shedding any tears.
Snort.
Remaining a deadbeat was ALWAYS the plan.
The EU is not fracturing.
Its Deep State is solidifying its hold.
Screw NATO. Useless waste of our money.
I’m not an economist, but I expect a depression, global in scope.
Fake science, non merit based employment, inflation, unreliable data, etc.
The EU is not fracturing.
———
The western MSM has been good at not reporting all the rioting and demonstrations in the EU, by the citizens. Hungary opposes Biden’s war, and unfortunately the EU governments , not citizens ,are under the US’s thumb- war, war war…. EU government changes are at hand….all eyes on Poland’s upcoming elections!
I’m trying to figure out who is stupider - the countries that refuse to pay for their own defence; or the country that pays so they don’t have to.
Their “green BS” agenda is more important than self defense
shutting down coal power plants will be a self-caused disaster.
There are 330 million saps standing by to pay Germany’s share, AGAIN! I’m so glad we are taking on more deadbeat NATO “partners” to subsidize.
All the promises will be caught up in the “out years”, just not this year or the next.
Germany goes Lucy and the football. Of course, they will never meet spending targets unless they decide they are going to invade Poland again. NATO and its ingrates is getting long in the tooth with the US. Time to jettison the antiquity and concentrate on China.
I’m not an economist, but I expect a depression, global in scope.
———-
Perfect timing to instate the widely talked about Digital Currency….like the Covid hoax- FEAR- lose your 401k’s, pensions, etc…..but we the government can fix it…..like sheep to the slaughter.
trump will send them a bill and I agree no more nato let the eu protect the eu
It’s a slow-down, on various levels.
Around Panama Canal, maybe 500 ships paused because of the regional drought (not enough water for the locks to work at full power).
China industry mostly shut-down, and moving toward Asia/India, with the banking sector in extremely fragile condition.
Russia/Ukraine war continues on.
The you-should-buy-an-Ecar mindset has peaked.
All-time record of migrants on the move.
Covid evolving...never really going away.
UAPs, aliens....dragged up every single day now.
People seeming to care where the hell their electrical power comes from, and if it’s ‘clean’.
Public mostly in a daze because they now believe 50-percent of what they see/feel...is faked-up.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.