FILE PHOTO: German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz gestures as he attends an event that involves a Weisswurst breakfast in Brilon, Germany, January 19, 2025. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The leader of Germany's conservative CDU, the party's candidate to run for chancellor, said on Tuesday that the nation should focus on efforts to reach existing NATO defence spending targets before discussing any further increases.
"For the next three to four years we will have to focus on reaching at least 2%, where we currently see a funding gap of 30 to 40 billion (euros) per year and that’s what we need to work hard on," Friedrich Merz told radio station DLF.
