Germany marked the 70th anniversary of its accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with a ceremony in Berlin attended by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz hailed the 1955 decision as the foundation for "three generations of freedom" and pledged that Berlin would continue to "defend peace and security." In a separate general debate in the Bundestag, Merz linked the alliance’s durability to Germany’s willingness to lift defense spending limits, saying that without the recent debt-financed military buildup “NATO would have broken apart.” The 2025 draft budget earmarks €62.4 billion for the armed forces, up from €52 billion last year, and envisages raising annual defense outlays to about €152.8 billion by 2029 to meet new alliance targets. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told lawmakers that overall federal expenditure will rise to a record €503 billion this year, funded by €81.8 billion in fresh borrowing, while public investment is set to jump 55 percent to €115 billion. He framed the plan as a long-overdue push to modernise infrastructure, climate projects and digital networks alongside the military. Opposition parties and social organisations criticised the blueprint as a "debt binge" that prioritises rearmament over social programmes. Left-wing deputies accused the government of suspending Germany’s debt brake "only for weapons," while the far-right AfD attacked the lifting of fiscal constraints. Merz has also floated reinstating conscription, a move the Ifo Institute and business groups say would weigh heavily on public finances and exacerbate labour shortages.