The chairman of the Investment and Innovation Council of the German Ministry of Finance, Harald Christ, says the federal government will meet the required ten‑percent investment rate from the core budget to unlock the €500 billion special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality. “We will reach the ten‑percent investment rate from the core budget in 2026” Christ told “Welt am Sonntag”.
The rule is meant to guarantee that the special fund actually results in new investment. In 2025 the target was missed: the investment rate from the core budget fell to only 8.7 percent.
Christ urged patience with the effects of the new fund. “The law was only passed in October, so you can’t expect macroeconomic effects after three months” he explained. “Initial trends will likely become visible in the second half of 2026. The critical point is that if the funds planned for this year have largely disbursed by December, arrive, take effect, and trigger additional private investment, then we will be on the growth trajectory we need”.
