The German federal government plans to create a resilience fund for critical infrastructure, according to an internal draft from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs. The proposed “Civil Protection Fund for the Economy” would be able to hold up to 500 million euros per year, corresponding to a total of 2 billion euros over the next four years.
The drive for the fund comes in the wake of recent incidents, such as suspected Russian drones in German airspace and a large‑scale power outage in Berlin last January. These events have led the ministry to see it as essential to protect businesses from war‑related disruptions, with a particular focus on securing critical energy infrastructure.
Politically, the cabinet has agreed on establishing the resilience fund, but a consensus on its financing remains unresolved. An insider reports that the earmarked billions would need to be financed through the extraordinary debt‑breach rule, which means the money cannot be allocated to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ budget line even though Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) intends to manage the fund. The ministry has not yet answered Handelsblatt’s questions about the fund’s future or whether it still deems a 2 billion‑euro allocation necessary.