German MEP Sell challenges von der Leyen over €800bn rearmament plan

Alexander Sell, a German MEP for AfD, accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament of pushing an €800 billion arms spending plan that would mobilize Europeans' private savings. Von der Leyen defends this as a "savings and investment union."

The clash between **Alexander Sell**, of Alternative for Germany (AfD), and Commission President **Ursula von der Leyen**, centers on **€800 billion** earmarked for armaments. Sell argues this money will not come from internal cuts but from citizens' pockets, involving converting private savings into investments. The Commission labels this initiative a "savings and investment union," a term Sell considers misleading: he believes it is not about saving, but spending more with other people's money.

## Rearmament plan and savers' funds

The core accusation is that Brussels wants to finance military efforts using accumulated household savings. Sell claims the goal is to transform these private savings into investments, arguing the euphemism "savings and investment union" hides massive spending. According to his intervention, funds would also support the war in Ukraine and potentially deplete European savings accounts.

The figure cited by the MEP, **€800 billion**, is presented as an amount approved without parliamentary scrutiny. This is the point Sell emphasizes most: channeling such a magnitude through routes that bypass parliamentary control. He did not provide a breakdown of items or disbursement schedules during his speech.

## Defense contracts history

To reinforce his criticism, Sell refers to von der Leyen's past as Defense Minister in Berlin. He attributes to her the awarding of public contracts outside legal frameworks, citing a report by the German **Federal Court of Audit** regarding "systematic abusa of public procurement law." According to his account, billions were paid to close advisors without tender, and compromising messages were deleted.

The MEP also mentions a Bundestag inquiry committee, stating the then-minister avoided appearing. He adds the episode of vaccines during the cobi19 crisis, involving a **€35 billion** contract closed via text messages with an acquaintance, claiming prosecutors are investigating and phone messages have disappeared. These are accusations made by Sell in the chamber; no judicial rulings confirming them are noted here.

## Bundeswehr yes, blank checks no

The speech concludes with a distinction worth noting: Sell says he wants better equipment for the **Bundeswehr**, but not tax money distributed among friends and acquaintances of the Commission President. His thesis is that the problem is not military spending itself, but who manages it and under what controls. Hence his demand not to burden citizens with debt in their name or touch private savings.

The dispute fundamentally concerns the financial architecture of European rearmament: how much, with which instruments, and with what parliamentary supervision. Any decision affecting savings or public debt should be checked against the fine print of official texts and, if personal assets are involved, with a financial advisor.