Union motion

Bundestag votes again on Taurus delivery

The CDU/CSU wants the German Bundestag to vote again next week on the delivery of the Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine. The corresponding motion was already drafted in November and calls on the government to "finally comply with the Ukrainian request (...) to the greatest possible extent without delay."

Just two weeks ago, the CDU/CSU failed with a similar motion in the Bundestag. Only the chair of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), from the coalition with the traffic light system voted in favour. This time, however, things could be different, as the deputy chairman of the FDP, Wolfgang Kubicki, has also announced his intention to vote in favor of the motion. "Last time, at least a dozen other colleagues I know would have loved to vote in favor of the CDU/CSU motion, but they gave in to coalition discipline. I was also on the verge of doing so," he said.

A Taurus cruise missile(Bild: AFP)

Scholz: "I am the Chancellor, and that's why this applies"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has so far rejected the delivery of the Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometers, because he fears that his country could be drawn into the war. "I am the chancellor, and therefore that applies (see video above)."

According to a recent survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, Scholz has the majority of the population behind him on the issue. 28 percent of 2169 eligible voters were in favor of a delivery, mainly voters of the Greens, less of the CDU/CSU and the FDP.

Vote on Thursday
The CDU/CSU wants to put the motion on the agenda for next Thursday. On Wednesday, Scholz will face questions from MPs in parliament for the first time this year, and Taurus is also likely to play a central role. "Parliament must take the reins of action," said parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei (CDU).