Three sources familiar with the plan's negotiations told Reuters that Germany is considering establishing independent public institutions capable of taking on new debt to invest in a weak economy without violating strict national spending rules.
Sources said that the creation of these new investment institutions would enable Germany to increase spending on infrastructure and climate protection beyond the constitutional limit by using record low borrowing costs.
Germany's debt limit allows the federal budget deficit to be up to 0.35% of gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to about 12 billion euros ($13.3 billion) a year, but once growth factors are included in the calculation, Germany's new debt will increase by only 5 billion next year.
Germany, Europe's largest economy, is currently on the verge of recession. According to estimates by KfW Bankengruppe, the depressed demand for public investment in cities and towns across the country amounts to 138 billion euros. According to the "shadow budget" being considered by government officials, the new debt raised by the public investment agency will not be included in the federal budget, according to unnamed sources.
Instead, their debt ceiling is governed by the provisions of the EU Stability and Growth Agreement, which gives Germany room to increase spending without the need for a two-thirds majority in Parliament to change its own debt provisions.
"Norway has oil, Germany has credibility. It's like a national resource. A senior official told Reuters that the strong demand for German bonds had turned yields negative, even for long-term bonds.
Hot Model No.: