The €100 billion special fund, introduced by the coalition government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, appears to be being disbursed without oversight from the Bundestag, according to reports from the magazine Spiegel. Although a dedicated committee of parliament members was elected during this legislative term, it has neither been constituted nor met so far.
Sebastian Schäfer, a Green MP and member of the committee, has formally urged the other six members in a letter, calling on them to convene “urgently” and establish agreed-upon working procedures for the future. He wrote that as parliamentarians, they have a critical mandate that must be fulfilled without reservation, especially during these times of major challenges.
The Bundestag had previously agreed to raise the €100 billion through loans subsequent to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “Zeitenwende” speech. These funds are committed to various expenditures, including the ordering of F-35 fighter jets, and the bulk of the resources are already planned. A constitutional amendment has since exempted military spending from the country’s debt brake.
Despite the existing framework, Schäfer insists that the committee needs to function. He notes that spending exceeding €25 billion is planned for the current year, with projected expenditures rising to over €27 billion next year. Schäfer also fears that defense contractors might be pricing their products excessively.
