Germany

Nuclear-weapon host state

Hosts 15 US nuclear weapons

Has not yet joined the TPNW

SIGNED

RATIFIED

IN FORCE

Status

Germany has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

National position

Although Germany has said that it supports “disarmament initiatives like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”, it has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.

In 2023, the German government published a national security strategy, which stated that “the preconditions for disarmament steps must be created, especially within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but also in dialogue with the members of the [TPNW]”.

Germany supports the retention and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, as indicated by its endorsement of various alliance statements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which it is a member.

In 2023, Germany said: “Confronted with an openly aggressive Russia, the importance of nuclear deterrence has increased for many states, including for [Germany]. Germany, as a NATO member, is fully committed to NATO’s nuclear deterrence, the purpose of which is to preserve peace, deter aggression and prevent nuclear coercion.”

It reiterated that it “will not accede to the TPNW, which would collide with our national security interests and our membership in NATO including nuclear deterrence”. It also emphasised that it is not bound by the treaty’s provisions, “nor do we accept the claim that its provisions are applicable under customary law”.

Nuclear weapons in Germany

Germany is one of five NATO members that host US nuclear weapons on their territory as part of nuclear-sharing arrangements. The German air force is assigned approximately 15 B61 nuclear bombs, which are deployed at the Büchel air base.

ICAN campaigners protest at the Büchel air base in Germany in 2020, where US nuclear weapons are stationed. Photo: IPPNW

Meetings of states parties

Germany observed the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2022. This was in line with the terms of an agreement struck by three political parties in 2021 for the formation of a new coalition government.

“Without any doubt, the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW is seen as a major event in nuclear disarmament diplomacy,” Germany said.

“Germany is committed to engaging in constructive dialogue and exploring opportunities for practical cooperation,” it added, noting that “supporters and sceptics of the TPNW can work shoulder to shoulder” to ensure that progress is made in reducing global nuclear stockpiles and preventing proliferation.

However, it said that as a NATO member – and “confronted with an openly aggressive Russia” – Germany could not accede to the TPNW, as this “would collide with our membership in NATO including [the policy of] nuclear deterrence”.

According to the then-minister of foreign affairs, Annalena Baerbock, Germany participated in the meeting of states parties because it wanted “to improve dialogue and cooperate in addressing the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons – in the field of victim assistance or the remediation of areas contaminated by nuclear testing”.

Germany also observed the second meeting of states parties in 2023. “International arms control fora, including this meeting of states parties, need to be explicit and call out Russia as a major obstacle to disarmament efforts,” it urged.

Political developments

More than 110 federal parliamentarians have pledged to work for Germany’s signature and ratification of the TPNW. A cross-party working group was established in 2019 to promote this objective.

In 2023, the Social Democratic Party said that the TPNW, while contributing to “polarisation” in parts, “has provided important impulses for the debate on global nuclear disarmament”. It voiced support for continued constructive engagement with the arguments and intentions of the treaty.

In 2020, the Green Party formalised its position in support of joining the TPNW and withdrawing US nuclear weapons from German territory.

Dozens of German cities, including Berlin, Munich, and all other state capitals, have called on the German government to sign and ratify the TPNW.

The former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer and former defence minister Rudolf Scharping signed an open letter in 2020 calling on current leaders to “show courage and boldness – and join the [TPNW]”.

Ahead of the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021, the research services division of the German federal parliament published a paper affirming that the new treaty reinforces, and does not undermine, the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968.

At a protest in Berlin in 2017, more than 700 people call on the then-chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, to sign the TPNW. Photo: ICAN

Public opinion

A public opinion poll conducted by YouGov in 2019 found that 68 per cent of Germans believe that their government should join the TPNW, with just 12 per cent opposed. A poll by Kantar in 2020 found that 83 per cent of Germans want US nuclear weapons to be removed from German territory.

More than 100,000 Germans have signed a petition calling on the government to sign and ratify the TPNW.

Germans wave flags in 2021 in celebration of the TPNW’s entry into force. More than a hundred such actions took place nationwide. Photo: ICAN

TPNW negotiations

Germany did not participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption.

In 2016, Germany voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.

In a document sent to NATO members ahead of the vote, the United States “strongly encourage[d]” members, including Germany, to vote against the resolution, “not to merely abstain”. In addition, it said that, if the treaty negotiations do commence, allies and partners should “refrain from joining them”.

ICAN campaigners meet in Berlin in 2014 to discuss progress towards negotiations on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. Photo: ICAN

Further information

Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor

Germany

Nuclear-weapon host state

Hosts 15 US nuclear weapons

Has not yet joined the TPNW

Status

National position

Nuclear weapons in Germany

Meetings of states parties

Political developments

Public opinion

TPNW negotiations

Further information

Local Partner Organizations

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