Chancellor hopeful says Germany should focus on existing NATO spending target

By Ludwig Burger

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.

Germany, which is to hold general elections on Feb. 23, met NATO's target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2024, but only thanks to a 100 billion euro ($104 billion) special fund that will run out in 2028.

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a new NATO spending target of as much as 5% of GDP.

($1 = 0.9647 euros)

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Friederike Heine)