German lawmakers vote for massive 100 billion euros in military funding

German lawmakers vote for massive 100 billion euros in military funding

German lawmakers have approved massive funding for the army worth 100 billion euros, paving the

 way for a massive buying campaign three months after the start of the Russian operation in Ukraine.

The decision was widely supported in the lower house of the German parliament after the ruling coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz held lengthy negotiations with the main opposition bloc.
A majority of 593 deputies voted in favor of funding, 80 deputies opposed and 7 abstained, while the decision still needs to be approved by the upper house of Parliament representing German state governments.
Schulz announced the funding last February, days after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. "Germany will now spend more than 2% of its GDP on defense, a long-delayed goal set by NATO," he said.
The government and the opposition agreed that "defense spending of 2% would meet the multi-year average with the help of private funding," and officials acknowledged that "the German army suffered for years of neglect, especially due to outdated, poorly performing equipment."
The center-left Social Democrats, to which Schulz belongs, and the Union, which led the government for 16 years under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, accused each other of this.