6 days ago
Germany passes ‘Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz' law to streamline army
Germany has passed a law titled the 'Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz' to speed up the process of buying helicopters, tanks and frigates for its army.
In a country notorious for cumbersome bureaucracy, weapons procurement is being streamlined as part of a rearmament plan by Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor.
Ironically, the law, which is supposed to make life easier for defence contractors and trade negotiators, is one of the longest words in the German language and difficult to pronounce.
Passed on Wednesday, ministers hope the Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz [federal armed forces procurement efficiency law] will simplify the process of buying weapons and equipment.
It will enable major defence firms to secure contracts faster and improve access for start-up businesses, particularly in new areas of defence, such as the drone sector.
Boris Pistorius, German defence minister, is said to be frustrated by long delays in acquiring new kit for the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, such as frigates and armoured vehicles.
According to Tagesschau, a German news website, his defence ministry is particularly worried about progress on the F126 frigate project, which is expected to be delayed by at least two years.
Another contract with a Dutch company to provide the German navy with six ships by 2028 has also run aground, the newspaper said, amid speculation that the deal could be dropped altogether.
A multi-billion euro project to deliver the Heavy Weapon Carrier, a high-tech armoured vehicle, has also been plagued by delays.
The Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz is part of Germany's wider efforts to become a major security power in response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Merz has vowed 'Germany is back' and has already passed historic reforms to unlock potentially unlimited public spending on new German defence projects.
The centre-Right Christian Democrats leader has committed to Nato's target of spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence, and is also considering a return to conscription, which was scrapped by Germany in 2011 because it was believed to be no longer necessary.
The Bundeswehr this year launched its first permanent overseas deployment since the Second World War, sending an armoured brigade to Lithuania to help secure Nato's eastern frontier with Russia.
Running at 43 letters long, Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz is one of the longest words in German.
Germany is no stranger to having very long names for laws and business regulations, such as 'Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz,' an archaic rule about beef standards which was once the longest German word.
The longest official German word, at 72 letters, is Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft, referring to a trade association for steamboats.
