An unlikely political star has risen in Germany. Boris Pistorius, a 63-year-old father of two is a career politician and, as of January, defence minister, an office that has proved a dead end for many of his predecessors. On the face of it, Germany’s Boris has little by way of stardust. Yet he is the country’s most popular politician by a country mile and his department is set to increase its budget at a time when overall government spending is being sharply cut. It seems for the first time in decades, Germany is serious about security and defence – but how long will that seriousness last?
Pistorius is often seen in the media to be speaking directly with military personnel – a stark contrast to his unpopular predecessor
After exceptionally high state spending caused by the pandemic and the energy crisis, Berlin is keen to return to its usual economic prudence. Germany’s constitution contains an inbuilt debt break which limits the federal budget deficit to 0.35
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