Conservatives, Social democrats, and Greens voted in favor of the reforms.

On Friday, the Upper House of the German Parliament approved constitutional reforms to lift budgetary restrictions on defense spending and boost infrastructure with a €500 billion fund.

RELATED:

United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy Afgree on Arab Plan On Gaza

Out of the 69 possible votes distributed among the federal state governments in the chamber, the reforms—agreed upon by conservatives, social democrats, and Greens—received 53 votes in favor.

In the vote, which saw no votes against and surpassed the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment, the federal states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Rhineland-Palatinate abstained.

The constitutional reforms grant federal states greater borrowing capabilities while also removing any spending limits on defense exceeding 1% of GDP (approximately €43 billion). Additionally, they allow for the creation of a €500 billion fund for infrastructure and climate protection.

“We cannot afford a weak Germany,” said Gerald Heere, an ecologist politician and Finance Minister of Lower Saxony—one of Germany’s most populous regions—before announcing his state’s vote.

Like him, the vast majority of representatives from German federal state governments emphasized the need to push the country forward to modernize its infrastructure and capabilities, including military ones, given the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its hostile behavior toward Europe.

Extraordinary Measures

Green politician Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg—another of Germany’s most populous regions—justified his state’s vote in favor of the reforms, stating, “You cannot respond to extraordinary challenges with ordinary means.”

Boris Rhein, a politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Prime Minister of Hesse, referred in the Upper House to the reform package as part of a “historic moment,” also marked by the “erosion” of transatlantic relations due to the growing rift between Europe and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Similarly, Markus Söder, leader of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) and Prime Minister of Bavaria, highlighted the need for Germany to once again have “one of the strongest armies in Europe and be able to protect itself, to protect our country.”

The outcome of the Upper House vote was not surprising, as even in Bavaria—where the Free Voters (FW) group had expressed disagreement with the reforms—the CSU-allied party ultimately approved the constitutional changes, breaking with Germany’s traditionally strict fiscal policies.

Greater Leeway for the Government

After receiving the green light from the Parliament’s territorial representation chamber, and following the Lower House’s approval on Tuesday of the initiative agreed upon by CDU/CSU, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the Greens, those responsible for forming Germany’s next government now know they will have unprecedented spending capabilities.

“The package theoretically gives politicians the means to organize Germany’s return to international influence. The reforms provide political maneuvering space, but they do not, in themselves, replace political management,” said Jacob Ross, an expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), referring to CDU/CSU and SPD, who are currently negotiating the formation of a “grand coalition.”

Failed Attempts to Block the Vote

As had occurred before the Lower House vote, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party failed in its attempt to prevent the Upper House decision through an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

A similar fate befell the appeal by the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) faction from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous region, which also voted in favor of the reforms on Friday.

According to Christian Pestalozza, an emeritus professor and legal scholar at the Free University of Berlin, those attempts “had no chance of success under the Constitution” because they did not challenge the content of the reform but rather the scheduling of the extraordinary parliamentary sessions in which the amendments were passed. “The attempts to block it with additional arguments were doomed to fail,” he said, calling AfD and FDP’s efforts “frivolous.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

EN ESTA NOTA: