Ines Schwerdtner, the co‑chair of the Left Party, has called for an expansion of checks in Germany’s defense sector.
She said on Wednesday that more comprehensive investment controls are needed across the entire industry, including drone makers and firms that – while not traditionally classified as defense companies – produce military goods.
According to Schwerdtner, the federal government appears to have no problem when dubious U.S. tech billionaires invest in German defense firms and engage in billion‑dollar deals with them, a stance she believes shows that nothing has been learned from recent events.
She criticised the notion that a defense project which would make a right‑wing U.S. billionaire close to the MAGA movement wealthier and more influential could enhance security. Instead, she argues, it only heightens uncertainty in Europe. One fact, she noted, is that if the investor had been Chinese, the government would never have allowed the transaction – yet it remains blind to the transatlantic implications.
