Financial crisis imminent in every German city
By ljdevon // 2025-11-24
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The foundations of Germany's economic stability are crumbling, and the warning sirens are blaring from town halls across the overrun nation. How did the European powerhouse, once an engine of industrial might and fiscal responsibility, find itself on the precipice of a municipal collapse? The answer lies in a perfect storm of unchecked government spending and a welfare model stretched to its breaking point by policies that have prioritized mass immigration over national solvency. The very social contract that defined post-war Germany is now threatening to bankrupt it from the inside out, leaving its citizens to bear the burden of a failing state. Key points:
  • The mayor of Essen has declared that almost every German city is on the verge of bankruptcy.
  • In North Rhine-Westphalia, only 10 out of 396 municipalities can present a balanced budget.
  • The total deficit for all German cities has surged to €30 billion for 2025.
  • Refugee accommodation and integration are cited as primary drivers of the budget shortfalls.
  • Mass immigration is estimated to cost Germany trillions of euros, becoming a massive financial burden instead of a solution to demographic issues.
  • The federal government's aid package for cities is widely seen as insufficient to address the scale of the crisis.
  • Over-indebtedness among private citizens is also rising, compounding the national financial distress.

A universal municipal collapse

The financial contagion is no longer isolated to struggling post-industrial towns. The mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's own Christian Democratic Union (CDU), delivered a chilling diagnosis that applies to the entire country. "Almost every German city is now on the verge of bankruptcy," Kufen stated, removing any doubt that this is a localized problem. He revealed that in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, a mere 10 out of 396 cities and municipalities can present a balanced budget. This isn't a slow decline; it is a systemic failure happening in real-time. Kufen described a new and terrifying reality where wealth can no longer provide protection. "What’s new is that all cities have their backs against the wall," he told Bild newspaper, warning that even previously affluent cities will now face budget freezes. This universal crisis forces a fundamental question about the future of the German welfare state itself. Kufen posed the critical question that many politicians seem afraid to ask: "We have to talk about what we can do so that our welfare state itself does not become a social case. This means: What do we want to afford and what else can we afford?"

The staggering cost of open borders

While the political class in Berlin debates abstract ideals, the mayors on the front lines are staring at spreadsheets filled with red ink. The city of Essen, with a population of nearly 600,000, provides a perfect case study. The city had meticulously planned a balanced budget for 2025, but instead of a slight surplus, it is now facing a catastrophic deficit of €123 million. What caused this financial black hole? Once again, the costs of refugee accommodation and integration are near the top of the list. The narrative that mass immigration is a solution to Germany's budget and pension crisis has been exposed as a catastrophic miscalculation. The direct costs are staggering, consuming at least €50 billion a year in social benefits, housing, and integration programs. But this is only the visible portion of the iceberg. The hidden costs are silently sinking municipal budgets: skyrocketing housing prices that push natives out of the market, overwhelmed healthcare systems, and education budgets strained by a rapidly changing student demographic. Official statistics from Essen reveal that approximately 24.5 percent of primary school students are classified as "Not German," a figure that jumps to 35 percent when including those with an "immigration background." Educating this population is not a simple matter of adding more desks. It requires expensive, specialized integration courses and a higher per-student cost to compensate for significant educational deficits, placing an unsustainable burden on city finances. The strain extends deep into the social safety net. A shocking 63 percent of all welfare recipients in Germany are foreigners or have a foreign background, a demographic that represents a much smaller share of the overall population. This imbalance reveals a system being exploited, one where the contributors are increasingly outnumbered by the beneficiaries. Some research, including that from Prof. Bernd Raffelhüschen of the University of Albert Ludwig in Freiburg, indicates this policy has already cost Germany €5.8 trillion and could ultimately reach a mind-numbing €19.2 trillion.

A band-aid on a hemorrhage

In response to the escalating crisis, the federal government has proposed a gigantic debt package intended to rescue the cities. But from the perspective of local leaders like Mayor Kufen, it is a woefully inadequate gesture. He explained that Essen will receive €335 million over 12 years, which breaks down to "just 28 million per year." With construction costs exploding, Kufen noted this sum would, "with luck be enough for two and a half schools." Kufen’s solution is not just a plea for more money, but a cry for freedom from a suffocating bureaucracy. He argued that cities truly need "not just the money for investments, but simply less bureaucracy, easier awards, fewer requirements so that I can end up doing more with the little money." He has been forced to impose "restrictive household management" in Essen, where any expense over €5,000 requires special permission. Summarizing the dire situation, he said, "There’s not much left." The consequences of this failure extend far beyond balanced books. Kufen issued a stark warning about the very fabric of society, stating, "Because that’s where citizens find out whether the state works. Whether I can get a daycare place or whether the street lamps come on at night. If you can no longer do all of this, the people who pay taxes get the impression that politicians are not dealing with it properly. And that’s dangerous." When the state can no longer provide basic services, the social contract is broken, and democracy itself is threatened. This municipal meltdown is mirrored in the lives of ordinary Germans. The number of people classified as "over-indebted" has risen for the first time in six years, now encompassing 5.7 million citizens struggling with rising rents, electricity, and food prices. The federal government appears to be just as financially inept, having "miscalculated" billions in welfare payments. Internal ministry documents revealed a planned budget of €36 billion for citizens’ allowance was a fantasy, with the actual need expected to be closer to €46 billion. This discrepancy has sparked outrage, yet the government's denial lacked any substantive counter-data. As the cities go bankrupt and the people drown in debt, the German state is proving it can no longer manage its own affairs, raising the urgent question: who will be left to pay the bill? Sources include: RMX.news RMX.news X.com
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