(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, MAR 18 - German lawmakers on Tuesday voted for a colossal defence and infrastructure spending package proposed by chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz following concern over the US stance on the Ukraine war and Europe's security. Local media have labelled the plans -- which could pave the way for more than one trillion euros in spending over the next decade -- as a fiscal "bazooka" for Europe's top economy. The hastily drawn plans, which represent a radical departure for a country traditionally reluctant to take on large amounts of debt or to spend heavily on the military, were passed with 513 votes in favour and 207 against. Speaking to parliament ahead of the vote, conservative Merz said it was vital to strengthen the country in light of Russia's "war of aggression against Europe". "It is a war against Europe and not just a war against the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Merz said. Merz's CDU/CSU and their likely future coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), plan to exempt defence spending from Germany's strict debt rules and to set up a 500-billion-euro ($545-billion) fund for infrastructure investments over 12 years. As well as boosting domestic investments, the spending package is expected to clear the way for an extra three billion euros of support for Ukraine in 2025. Ahead of the vote, European stocks rose and German investor sentiment posted its biggest increase in over two years in anticipation of the spending boost. (ANSA-AFP).