The President of the German Red Cross (DRK), Herrmann Gröhe, has urgently called for billions of additional euros to secure Germany’s civil and population protection systems amid rising safety risks. Speaking to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Gröhe stated that if the federal government is planning for a hypothetical attack scenario against NATO around 2029, it must address population protection issues immediately, rather than waiting. He stressed that the capabilities for civil defense-even in the event of a military conflict-must be rapidly built up across Germany. Gröhe criticized the current situation, noting that voluntary aid workers are sometimes given equipment that is outdated, comparable to what their grandparents used.
Major aid organizations are collectively demanding a radical “turning point” in civil defense planning. Gröhe specified the financial need for the German Red Cross: two billion euros by 2027, followed by an annual commitment of one billion euros. While Gröhe admitted this amount is considerable, he noted it is still significantly less than the 180 billion euros targeted for the defense budget by 2030.
Oliver Meermann, a federal board member of the Johanniter-Unfallhilfe, reinforced the necessity of strong aid organizations, cautioning that effective population protection is impossible without them. He further demanded that the annual funding for aid organizations and their partners must permanently increase to approximately 2.6 billion euros.
According to the organizations, Germany should model its approach on Ukraine, a country recognized by experts for its immense resilience and internal protection mechanisms. Gröhe warned that without robust civilian protection, a nation cannot achieve overall defense. He argued that if people lack adequate care or guidance during a crisis, a country will quickly fall into disorder. Gröhe noted that the German armed forces anticipate Russia might attempt to test NATO territory no later than 2029. He pleaded, “If we do not prepare better for such crises, we are abandoning the population in this country in a time of genuine emergency”.
The requested funding should be allocated to services like emergency medical response, critical infrastructure such as mobile shelters, and the enhanced training of support staff, caregivers, and first aid personnel. Gröhe stressed, “We will need many helping hands in an emergency. We must train them now, because when the crisis hits, it will be too late”.