Taxpayer Association (Bund der Steuerzahler, BdSt) has criticized the projected costs for refurbishing the former residence of German President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier, Schloss Bellevue. The work is slated to start soon, with an initial estimate of more than €600 million, plus a risk buffer of €260 million, according to BdSt president Reiner Holznagel in a Friday edition of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Holznagel questioned whether the figures truly represent the final cost. “If you also add the €205 million for a new interim office-essentially a ‘Federal Presidency 2.0’-the total quickly climbs to around a billion euros” he said.
He further pointed out that another flagship project-the expansion of the Chancellery building-falls directly into the same budget bracket. While budget deficits are expected to rise, Holznagel argues that federal construction is sufficiently funded: “Frugality looks different”.
On Wednesday the cost figures for the Schloss Bellevue renovation were announced. The overhaul is planned to last eight years and begin in the summer, during which President Steinmeier will relocate to a temporary office near Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof. The next president will also use this interim facility until the renovation concludes.