On Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Budget Committee held a public hearing starting at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the planned legislation by the CDU/CSU and SPD to reform the balanced budget amendment, also referred to as the debt brake, and the planned special assets. Christopher Daase, PRIF’s Deputy Director and Head of Research Department International Security, was invited by the Green Party parliamentary group to testify as an expert witness.
In his statement to the committee, Christopher Daase emphasized the importance of the planned investments in light of the acute threats and long-term risks posed by Russia’s war of aggression and the U.S. turn away from Europe. At the same time, he warned against political overcorrection due to an excessively narrow concept of security. Instead, he advocated for an integrated understanding of security based on the National Security Strategy. Given the increasingly hybrid nature of threats, including sabotage, economic blackmail and cyber-attacks, the bill must also take into account social resilience.
He also recommended raising the limit for exemptions from the debt break to 1.5 percent of GDP. This is in contrast to the plans of the CDU/CSU and SPD and would avoid squeezing defense spending – a core function of government – out of the core budget. In addition, the planned special assets should not be used for the fulfillment of election campaign promises, but rather prioritize investments to ensure social resilience. In view of Germany’s security policy weaknesses in civil protection and disaster control, Christopher Daase concluded by recommending that an additional amount of the special assets be made available to municipalities and states for civil protection purposes.
The hearing in the Committee on Budgets and the statements of the invited experts can be viewed online (german only).