Germany used more than a third of the extra borrowing it approved for defense and security in 2025 to fund other budget items instead, a finding that raises questions about how much the country’s landmark military buildup is actually adding to defense capacity.
Germany defense borrowing funds other budget items
The Ifo Institute said 38.5% of the additional debt raised under the defense exemption was not translated into higher military spending, but instead freed up room in the core budget for so-called consumption outlays such as social spending and interest payments. That amounts to about 11 billion euros of the 28.6 billion euros in extra debt, according to the study.
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For investors, the issue goes beyond German budget politics. Berlin’s March 2025 reform exempted defense and security spending above 1% of GDP from the country’s debt brake, a major fiscal shift meant to support rearmament and supply-chain demand across Europe’s defense industry. If a large share of the new borrowing is absorbed by existing budget pressures, the scale of the expected uplift for contractors, equipment makers and research-intensive defense firms may be smaller than policymakers have suggested.
The report also highlights how fiscal loosening can be diverted into servicing legacy costs rather than creating new capacity. Ifo said the additional borrowing helped cover spending such as interest and welfare outlays that do not raise future productivity, while only 884 million euros went into defense research and development despite the war in Ukraine underscoring the need for drones, cyber defense and other next-generation capabilities.
That makes the political debate over Germany’s debt brake more consequential for markets. Investors have been looking to Berlin as a rare source of sustained fiscal support for Europe’s economy and defense sector, but the Ifo findings suggest that a meaningful portion of the new debt may simply cushion the broader budget rather than drive a larger military-industrial cycle.
The findings come as German equities remain near their recent highs, with the DAX and the Germany-focused EWG ETF both still trading above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while defense-related optimism continues to support sentiment around European industrial names. The next catalyst is likely to be how much of Germany’s future borrowing is actually directed into procurement, innovation and industrial contracts versus wider budget relief.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| German government budget | ▲More room for social spending | ▼Less direct defense buildup |
| Defense contractors | ▲Some procurement demand | ▼Smaller-than-expected spending boost |
| Taxpayers/creditors | ▲Short-term budget flexibility | ▼Higher debt without full military payoff |
| European security planners | ▲Existing funding framework extended | ▼Delayed next-gen defense investment |
