Matthias Williams

The parties hoping to form Germany's next government have agreed to create a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund and overhaul borrowing rules, a tectonic spending shift that jolted markets on Wednesday on hopes of reviving Europe's largest economy.

Election winner Friedrich Merz said on Friday he was open to reforming Germany's legally prescribed spending limits as his conservatives started exploratory talks on forming a coalition with outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats.

Election winner Friedrich Merz on Tuesday ruled out a quick reform to Germany's state borrowing limits known as the "debt brake" and said it was too soon to say whether the outgoing parliament could wave through a massive military spending boost.

Germany's main opposition leader vowed on Thursday to impose immediate border controls if he becomes chancellor, as expected, after elections next month, a day after an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested for a deadly knife attack targeting children.

Germany's main political parties presented their competing plans on Tuesday for lifting Europe's largest economy out of the doldrums as campaigning kicked off for a snap election on Feb. 23.

Germany's ruling Social Democrats officially made Chancellor Olaf Scholz their lead candidate on Monday for February's election, billing him as a safe pair of hands compared with the opposition conservatives contender who has no government experience.

The United States has taken an important decision in terms of its military support for Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday, while stressing that this was not a shift in strategy by the West.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday announced a 1.4 billion euro ($1.53 billion) military aid package for Ukraine by the end of 2024, telling President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that it was a signal to Russia that the West would not stop supporting Kyiv.

Jul 11, 2024 ... A plan to allow the deployment of U.S. long-range missiles in Germany drew praise and misgivings on Thursday, as supporters said it made ...

2 days ago ... Many of France's allies breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after Marine Le Pen's far-right party failed to win a snap election, but they ...