The federal government will make almost one billion euros available to the states for flood and coastal protection up to 2040. The figure comes from the environmental ministry’s reply to a short parliamentary question from the Green faction, which the Funke media group’s Wednesday papers reported on. For the coastal states, a commitment of 885 million euros has already been set for the period 2024 to 2040; with the states’ own funding added, the total commitment reaches 925 million euros.
Linda Heitmann, the Greens’ spokesperson on national marine and coastal protection, said the earmarked federal funds are far from sufficient. She calculated that Lower Saxony, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein will need a minimum of 1.4 billion euros each by 2035 to meet future risks.
Heitmann also criticized the government for not providing precise data on past damage from storm surges, heavy rain, and flooding. The ministry responded to the inquiry by citing insurer statistics. “The federal government gives vague and incomplete answers to the existential questions of coastal and flood protection” she said, adding that it is alarming the government cannot present exact damage figures for recent years or an assessment of the investment needed in nature‑based solutions.
The ministry’s response also outlined plans to facilitate the construction of flood‑defence structures. These include speed‑up measures for approval procedures, especially the planning‑approval processes for certain flood‑defence projects, and accelerated legal‑appeal procedures with clear deadlines for submissions and justifications.
Climate‑change experts expect floods to become more frequent and storm surges to intensify. The North Sea coast is already one of Germany’s most climate‑affected regions.
