German aid for Syria: 'State building is our core business'

Svenja Schulze, the German development minister of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), had scheduled a press conference in Berlin to speak about the last three extremely difficult years for her ministry: During this time, the projects she has been working on around the world had come under constant attack. Especially from right-wing populists who have been gaining ground in Germany and who often express nothing but hatred and derision for anyone offering support to the poor in the global South.

But given the very urgent situation in Syria, the SPD politician took the opportunity to talk about the new potential she sees for Germany's involvement there. In the years since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, German development assistance to the country has fallen to currently €125 million ($132 million).

That money was used to support United Nations projects, such as providing drinking water to Aleppo. In other words, the basic necessities on the smallest level, more was simply not possible because of the constant fighting in the country.

But now Schulze wants to do more. "The Development Ministry has been preparing for this moment for 13 years. Building state structures is our core business,” she said.

Cuts to the federal budget 

But it was this core business that was repeatedly criticized during the almost three years in which the coalition government of SPD, environmentalist Greens, and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)were in power.

During negotiations on the 2025 budget, Schulze only just managed to secure €10.3 billion for her ministry, almost a billion euros less than in 2024. There had been repeated claims that Germany could no longer afford expensive projects abroad at a time when housing is becoming scarce and infrastructure is crumbling at home.

Following the collapse of the coalition, the budget remains unresolved, but it seems unlikely that the Development Ministry will receive more money in the future. Still clearly outraged, Schulze said: "What was new was the intensity of the criticism and the deliberate spreading of falsehoods. We saw a perfect example of this with the now famed bike paths in Peru."

The Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party with some far-right extremist factions, had claimed that Schulze was spending a whopping €315 million on new cycle paths in the Latin American country. In fact, it was only around 20 million euros in grants and a further 40 million euros in loans — money that will be paid back. Schulze has now added the information that German companies were also involved in the construction of the bike paths, which were used as a means of connecting to the metro system. Because German companies were involved, the project was also of benefit to the German economy.

Self-confident countries in the Global South

According to Schulze, the projects in Peru are a good example of the principles on which she bases her development cooperation: In an increasingly multipolar world, she said, support for poorer countries must be given on an equal footing, otherwise many countries will turn to Russia or China, which often cooperate on the basis of geopolitical interests: "The countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America are rightly becoming increasingly self-confident. They choose their partners. And it is our task to remain a strong partner in this new, multipolar world."

According to the minister, another priority over the past three years has been the attempt to develop projects that are more strongly feminist in their approach. And this is another issue for which the ministry has repeatedly been criticized. Schulze announced a goal that by 2025, at least 93% of all projects approved will be designed to promote gender equality. In 2022, this was only the case for 66% of projects, whereas in 2024 it rose to around 91%.

The Development Policy Report is published once per legislative period and primarily serves to provide the Bundestag with an overview of development policy. Despite all of her efforts, it remains uncertain whether the SPD politician Schulze will be able to continue her work. Now that the FDP has left the government, the Social Democrats and the Greens are governing as a minority government.

And a new Bundestag will be elected on February 23. Svenja Schulze's party, the SPD, is currently far behind the conservatives in the polls.

This article was originally written in German.

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