EU Germany walks back plan to meet NATO spending target on annual basis - "The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO's 2% military spending target on an annual basis" "The change means that Germany will[stick to] meeting the 2% target on average over a five-year period."

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-walks-back-plan-meet-nato-spending-target-annual-basis-2023-08-16/

https://archive.md/8zRLi

The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO's 2% military spending target on an annual basis, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.

A corresponding clause in a draft of the budget financing law passed by the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday was deleted at short notice, the source said.

The change means that Germany will be able to stick to its current pledge of meeting the 2% target on average over a five-year period.

This wording is softer than Scholz's original pledge in a speech on Feb 27, 2022, in which he announced a "Zeitenwende" or sea change three days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"From now on, we will invest more than 2% of the GDP into our defence year after year," Scholz said at the time.

A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the particulars of the draft law.

NATO allies have criticised Berlin strongly in the past for not spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defence annually.

It is unclear whether Berlin will keep military spending over this threshold once a 100 billion euro ($101 billion) special fund to bring the Bundeswehr back up to standard is used up.

 

[Corpun]

NATO should've been disbanded in 1992. I wish we would so I could watch all the Euros scream and cry when all their welfare spending gets redirected into having to have real militaries again

Edit: New York Times Op-ed: Why America not Defending Us from Putin While We Buy Our Resources from Him is Literally the Fourth Reich by: Hans von Kiddlediddle

As much as I hate the EU, Eurofaggots should have formed a Military pact and told us to fuck off back to our side of the Atlantic. Shame every European country now exists to be an extension of American influence and are all too pussywhipped to do anything.

De Gaulle would be disappointed.

 

[Overly Serious]

I mean if you deduct the cost to Germany of the pipeline that was blown up, NATO owe them money.

 

[Florch]

Germany once again representing the multiculturalism of the EU -
Quitting like the French, cucking like the Brits and grifting like Greeks.

 

[Matt Damon]

I mean if you deduct the cost to Germany of the pipeline that was blown up, NATO owe them money.

What do you mean? Every news outlet and government statement across the western world told me le heckin' evil Putlerino totally did that.

 

[CaptainRockall]

Related to this but also unrelated...

This could well be a sign that the days of chronic neoliberalism are numbered and that maybe - just MAYBE - a change regime is coming.

When in the USA, and indeed globally, Biden continues to not command respect;
When in the UK the Enviroactivists are now split between listening to Roger Hallam and attacking ULEZ and Sadiq Khan OR attacking people who mock 'Climate Change' with violence;
When the EU continues to fail and falter;
When Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are booming for business and also not being attacked by Wokeo Haram;
When Soros himself to be turning against the cretins in charge of the EU;
When the UN, WEF and others are being attacked by both the far left (not the bourgeois left but the Communist/Socialist left like Corbyn) and the far right...

etc. etc.

Then perhaps 2023 is going to be the year that people wake up, smell the coffee and relaise this nonsense can't go on.

 

[not william stenchever]

If NATO wasn't just an extension of the Global American Empire, all members should be threatened with expulsion if they don't foot their part of the bill. At the very least, the US government could extort these countries not paying up in exchange for paying their part of it.

The way I'd do it is tell the krauts "Pay what you fucking owe or I'll let Poland do it. I don't want to let Poland do it, there will be many war crimes, but I will let them do it if you force my hand". A practical lesson on why you want to maintain an actual military as a sovereign government. The Poles would curbstomp the german military in a week and then have fun filling swimming pools with kraut blood for the crimes of the past.