Overview

• The draft budget allocates €81.8 billion in new borrowing for 2025, rising to €89.3 billion in 2026 under the coalition’s financial plan
• Defence spending is slated to more than double to €152.8 billion by 2029, a rise made possible by March’s debt brake exemption for security outlays
• Andreas Audretsch accused the government of repurposing the Climate and Transformation Fund to subsidize gas instead of backing energy-efficient renovations
• BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht branded the military funding increase a “gigantic waste of taxpayers’ money” and cautioned of looming cuts to pensions and healthcare
• Opposition figures claim Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Chancellor Friedrich Merz are using “financial tricks” to divert billions toward consumption and election giveaways