Germany’s government wants to accelerate the purchase of weapons and other defence equipment to ensure the country is able to counter any threats from Russia, according to draft legislation seen by dpa on Saturday.
The main goal of the bill is to ensure “the acceleration and simplification for all procurements for the Bundeswehr,” the Handelsblatt newspaper quoted from ministry circles. The Bundeswehr is Germany’s military.
According to the documents, certain urgent contracts should no longer be put out to tender at European level in future, but only at the national level, which should save time.
It should also be possible to award contracts following tenders even if an unsuccessful bidder takes legal action against them.
Until now, procedural issues have delayed the procurement of weapons by years in some cases.
Legislators can also initiate a procurement procedure even if financing has not yet been secured.
In addition, ertain documentation requirements are being weakened in order to reduce bureaucratic burdens.
As a result of the war in Ukraine, the government is investing significantly more funds to modernize the Bundeswehr and increase its stockpile of weapons.
Expenditure for the military is partially exempt from the debt brake – Germany’s strict constitutional rules on borrowing – and the annual budget for the armed forces is to increase year on year in line with the new 5% NATO target, agreed this week in The Hague.
