Markus Söder (l-r), Chairman of the CSU and Minister President of Bavaria, Friedrich Merz, candidate for Chancellor of the CDU/CSU, Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and Federal Chairman of the CDU, Lars Klingbeil, Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group and Federal Chairman of the SPD, and Saskia Esken, Party Chairwoman of the SPD, hold a press conference on the exploratory talks between the CDU/CSU and the SPD.
Kay Nietfeld/dpa | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz reached an agreement with the Greens on Friday on a massive increase in state borrowing in Europe’s largest economy, sources close to the negotiations said, in news that sent the euro soaring.
Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats, who are in negotiations to form a government after an election last month, had proposed a 500 billion euro fund for infrastructure and sweeping changes to borrowing rules to revive growth and ramp up military spending.
Decades of German fiscal conservatism have been upended by U.S. President Donald Trump’s radical policy shifts, with Merz warning that a hostile Russia and an unreliable U.S. could leave the Europe exposed.
To reach the two thirds majority required for the necessary constitutional changes, though, they need the support of the Greens who had hitherto rejected their plans, worried the new funds might be used simply to finance policies such as tax cuts.
The three parties, however, reached a deal on Friday, two sources close to the talks said, The news sent euro zone government bond yields, shares and the euro currency jumping on expectation the plan would boost the wider European economy.
“There is a deal,” the source said after German newspaper network RND had previously reported a compromise. A Greens source said they were happy with the deal.
One source familiar with the talks said the compromise includes the allocation of 100 billion euros for the climate and economic transformation fund.
The revised debt deal is being examined by finance ministry officials, two parliamentary sources said. Another source said some details were still being hammered out.
The parliamentary groups of all three parties were hastily convened to meet at 1200 GMT to discuss the deal.
Merz wants to secure the funds before a new parliament convenes on March 25, where they risk being blocked by an expanded contingent of far-right and far-left lawmakers.
