Merz's conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats – in talks to form a coalition after February's general election – unveiled the plans for vast extra outlays last week and are now racing to push them through the current legislation.

The party said they would not support the conservative chancellor-in-waiting’s paradigm-changing plan to invest massively in defense and infrastructure.

BERLIN - Germany's Greens vowed to block plans by likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz for a massive increase in state borrowing but left room for compromise on Monday on measures to revamp the military and revive growth in Europe's biggest economy.

Germany's likely next leader Friedrich Merz is set Thursday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defence and infrastructure spending in parliament as lawmakers begin debating the proposals.