BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Green Party leader Omid Nouripour is skeptical of the proposal by the Bundestag's defense commissioner, Eva Högl (SPD), to replenish the special assets for the Bundeswehr when they are used up. "The demand to "replenish" the special assets misses the point," the politician told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "After all, the vast majority of the money from the special fund, which is based on a one-time loan of 100 billion euros established by law, has not even flowed out yet. That's exactly where emphasis is needed now, so that the defense minister's structural reform efforts get off the ground."

What is needed, he said, is precise requirements planning so that the 100 billion euros are also used where they can most help the troops in their tasks. Nouripour added: "It's right that secure funding and more money are also needed in the long term, because the Bundeswehr is facing major challenges." However, he added, more efficiency and more European cooperation are also key. These are the priorities that need to be addressed, he said, rather than calling today for potential expenditures the day after tomorrow.

Högl had recently said that consideration could be given to replenishing the Bundeswehr's special fund "when it is used up, in order to finance projects over the course of the year - without restricting the participation rights of parliament." A project such as the succession for the Tornado jets cannot be financed well via the current budget because it is always only related to one year, she told the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" on Tuesday. Therefore, the form of financing through the special fund is correct, she said.

On February 27, 2022, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had heralded a "turn of the times" against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In the course of this, a special fund of 100 billion euros was approved for the modernization of the Bundeswehr./ddb/DP/zb