German government negotiators have approved a new defense and security direction for the country, coupling boosts in military expenditures with equal increases in foreign assistance.
Months of haggling over a new government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel culminated Wednesday as leaders of her center-right Christian Democratic Union, its sister party Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPD, unveiled a written coalition agreement in Berlin.
Insiders say the topic of defense spending ended up being relatively uncontroversial during closed-door talks, and party negotiators agreed on language that would keep Germany in line with a pledge by NATO members to annually allocate 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2024. Read More
Months of haggling over a new government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel culminated Wednesday as leaders of her center-right Christian Democratic Union, its sister party Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPD, unveiled a written coalition agreement in Berlin.
Insiders say the topic of defense spending ended up being relatively uncontroversial during closed-door talks, and party negotiators agreed on language that would keep Germany in line with a pledge by NATO members to annually allocate 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2024. Read More