The German Red Cross (DRK) says that civil protection in Germany is severely underfunded. President Hermann Gröhe told the “Tagesspiegel” (Tuesday edition) that despite increasing security risks and recent crises such as floods and power outages, the country’s civil defense is “completely underfinanced”.
Gröhe insists that a realistic assessment of Germany’s capacity for “war-readiness” can only be made if there is equally determined effort to protect the population. He calls for a massive catch‑up and warns that without a robust civil protection system the nation lacks real defence capability.
He is demanding at least one billion euros additional funding for civil protection and stresses that hospitals must become more resilient in crises. He also says that Germany needs more knowledge about the readiness of volunteer responders, clear national rules, and support for them.
“Germany’s drastically changed security environment now demands a sustained, genuine effort at every political level” Gröhe said. “We do not have time for jurisdictional disputes between the federal government and the states, especially when it comes to disaster prevention. When a crisis finally hits, prevention is already too late”.
The president also called for significantly more money in the federal budget for first‑aid courses that include self‑protection lessons. “If in every tenth household someone knows what to do in an emergency, it significantly strengthens society’s overall resilience” he added, noting that no one can help as quickly as a neighbour.
Additional funding for civil protection has so far largely benefited federal agencies and the Technical Relief Service, which reports to the interior ministry. The recognized aid organisations such as the DRK, however, have not received adequate consideration, Grimm pointed out. Volunteer corps are expected to carry out the bulk of the work in emergencies, yet “they cannot be training with equipment that dates back to the parents’ or even grandparents’ generation”.
