$3.3 billion in Ukraine aid unlocked after Germany repeals constitutional fiscal brake
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Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germany’s next Chancellor, said that Berlin might approve EUR3 billion ($3.3 billion) in additional assistance to Ukraine by March 21, German news agency DPA reported on March 18.
Additional funding for Ukraine became possible after the Bundestag backed an expansive national spending plan. After lengthy negotiations and compromises, lawmakers approved a package that includes EUR500 billion ($547 billion) for investments in defense and infrastructure.
Two-thirds of the German parliament supported easing the constitutional “debt brake” that previously forced the government to restrict spending to revenue levels.
Under the old rules, constitutional limits tied government spending to income. With the new relaxation, the government can borrow funds to finance defense and support the federal states. Reuters described the historic vote as an upending of decades of fiscal conservatism in Germany.
According to Deutsche Welle, the revised constitutional constraints on the national debt relative to GDP will be effectively set aside for defense and security needs. In addition to military aid to Ukraine—set at EUR4 billion ($4.6 billion) for 2025—an extra EUR3 billion is now planned, pushing total aid for Ukraine to more than EUR7 billion in 2025.
DW also noted that the amendments will give Merz greater discretion over defense spending and help boost Germany’s role in European security.
The successful vote came through cooperation among three political forces: the conservative CDU/CSU bloc led by Merz, the Social Democratic Party (CDU’s likely coalition partner), and the Greens, which agreed to a situational joint vote. Opposition came from the far-right AfD, Die Linke, and the Free Democrats.
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