Germany Declares Emergency to Unleash Historic Virus Bailout

  • Lawmakers approve new debt as part of 750 billion-euro package
  • There’s ‘no blueprint’ for this crisis, finance minister says
Olaf Scholz speaks at the Bundestag, in Berlin on March 25.Photographer: Tobias Schwara/AFP via Getty Images
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Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government secured emergency powers, unlocking a historic rescue package designed to cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic.

A majority of lawmakers in the Bundestag voted on Wednesday to set aside constitutional debt limits to combat the crisis, according to the legislature’s president.