Munich Security Conference: German Defense Minister says defense spending will continue to increase

Against the background of rising tensions, the defense ministers of Germany and France called for a further expansion of military cooperation in the European Union.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said at the Munich Security Conference that Germany is a reliable partner and will invest more money in the military. “We will continually increase this defense spending,” she said at a panel discussion on the future of EU security and foreign policy, adding that with the German Traffic Light Coalition’s new 3% target, spending on defense and development cooperation should be viewed through a network approach.

Another cancellation of weapon delivery

Lambrecht again refused to deliver the weapons requested by Ukraine, noting that restrictive German guidelines on arms export controls have been in place for a long time and should perhaps be tightened.

“We have 80% of the approval in Germany for this restrictive policy,” she said, adding that it is also becoming clear that not all partners have to do the same in order to strengthen Ukraine.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell explained that the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine will determine future political conditions and decide whether power-based politics with spheres of influence will be decisive. He said the EU spends four times as much as Russia on defense and almost as much as China, but that the EU is militarily incapable “because it is too fragmented.”

Meanwhile, French Defense Minister Florence Parly demanded, “We need a stronger Europe in the field of security and defense,” adding that, in relative terms, there is less military capacity in the European Union for military spending than in the United States.