NGOs urge Berlin not to cut foreign aid despite global trend
A coalition of 30 non-governmental organizations is urging the German government not to reduce its foreign aid budget, as the Cabinet prepares to approve the 2026 federal budget on Tuesday.
“Germany should lead by example and encourage other countries to invest in a fairer world,” the NGOs said in a joint statement.
The appeal has been signed by the aid groups Caritas International, Brot für die Welt, Welthungerhilfe, Kindernothilfe, Oxfam and others. It warns that deep cuts seen in other donor countries are undermining progress and trust.
“They also erode confidence in international cooperation and make it nearly impossible to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” the organizations state.
“There are no national solutions to global challenges. Either we lose alone — or win together.”
Merz says Europe must stop relying on US for security
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Europe can no longer “free-ride” on US security and must invest more in its own defense to become strategically independent.
Speaking at the Day of Industry in Berlin on Monday, Merz said US tolerance of low European defense spending “will not” continue, and warned that even a new US administration would not return to old assumptions.
“We Europeans must become stronger on our own,” he said.
Merz urged European countries to build on their strengths and address weaknesses gradually. He also emphasized the need for long-term support for Ukraine, citing the Russian government’s “very rigid stance.”
“Our resilience is required not only militarily, but above all politically,” Merz said.
Merz added that Europe must protect its freedom from sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation, destabilization efforts, and attempts to divide the continent. Merz became chancellor last month.
Germany plans to increase its defense budget to 3.5% of GDP over the next five years, government sources said on Monday, aligning with a proposed new NATO target for core military spending.
Defense spending is set to rise from 2.4% of GDP this year, as the German government moves to strengthen its armed forces amid growing security threats from Russia and continued pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Share of children in large families rises again in Germany
The share of children growing up in large families in Germany has been rising again in recent years, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), driven mainly by immigration since 2015.
In 2024, 26% of children were living in households with at least three children. That figure had declined from 25% in 1996 to 23% in 2015, but then rose again to 26% by 2024.
“The development over the past ten years is likely due mainly to immigration starting in 2015,” Destatis said.
Families with a migration background were found to have three or more children nearly twice as often as families without foreign roots. In 2024, 19% of migrant families had at least three children, compared to around 10% of other families.
Also in 2024, 8% of children lived with three or more siblings, while 18% had two siblings. The largest group — 44% — lived with one sibling, and 30% were only children.
Larger families were slightly more common in the western federal states, where 13% of families had at least three children, compared to 11% in eastern Germany.
The figures come from the annual microcensus, which surveys 1% of the population. Families are defined as parent-child groups living in the same household — children who have moved out are not included.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merz-says-europe-must-end-us-defense-free-ride/live-73003399