Germany has approved a state budget that allocates €7.6 billion for Ukraine

According to Bild, 388 parliamentarians from the ruling coalition voted in favor, while 279 deputies voted against.

This year, the German government can spend €476.81 billion, with net borrowing amounting to €39.03 billion.

The military aid for Ukraine in the budget is around €7.6 billion. This decision follows the Federal Constitutional Court’s previous ruling, which deemed the initial budget proposal unconstitutional. After the Bundestag’s vote, members of the Bundesrat (representation of 16 federal states) will need to approve the budget. It is expected that they will quickly confirm the Bundestag’s decision.

The budget was supposed to be approved earlier, but the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision on November 15, 2023, declaring the first draft proposed by the government unconstitutional, forced the ruling coalition to reconsider the document in light of the significant financial “hole” created by the prohibition on using funds from the Economic Stability Fund. The new budget proposal was discussed throughout this plenary week, over 4 days, separately for each ministry and agency, in intense debates. Members of the Bundesrat (representation of 16 federal states) were waiting to approve the main financial document of the state. They are expected to quickly confirm the Bundestag’s decision.

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