Germany to boost spending on defence, security: Finance minister

BERLIN - Germany will spend more on defence in coming years in response to growing global instability, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview published on Sunday.

He did not tell newspaper Bild am Sonntag how much extra Europe's largest economy would spend, or when the increases would kick in. "Of course we'll have to shoulder higher spending on defence in the next few years given the various crises and instability in the world," he was quoted as saying. "In the short-term, i.e. for the coming year, you can't do much with a bigger defence budget because industry simply can't deliver big defence projects that quickly," he added.

Asked which ministry could expect more money in future, Schaeuble said he had suggested that Germany moderately boost spending on development aid. He did not say to whom he had made the suggestion.

The country would need to increase the amount it spends on defence and domestic security because "unfortunately the world has become less safe," he added.