Enhanced border supervision incurred expenses exceeding €80 million
German Border Controls: Costs Reach €80.5 Million Since September 2024
Since the reintroduction of border controls at German land borders in mid-September 2024, the federal government has spent approximately €80.5 million on these measures, as of the end of June 2025 [1][4][5]. This figure includes costs for personnel, logistical support, and administrative expenses.
The majority of the expenditure, €37.9 million, has been allocated to overtime pay for the Federal Police officers [1][2]. Other significant costs include meals and hotel accommodation for these officers, amounting to around €8 million, and allowances for unsociable working hours, totalling nearly €3 million [1].
The Federal Police currently has approximately 14,000 officers deployed at German land borders [6]. Between April and the end of June 2025, the federal government spent approximately 8 million euros on catering for officers and accommodation in hotels [2]. Additionally, around 2 million euros were spent on operating the border stations during the same period [2].
The costs of these border controls have been criticised by Clara Bunger, the interior expert of the Left Party. She described the federal government's policy as a "lawless border-closed policy" and argued that the controls make it harder for asylum seekers to flee, cause traffic chaos in border regions, burden border commuters, and incur enormous costs [3]. Bunger demanded an "immediate" end to the controls.
Under Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the measures have intensified since May 2025. This includes refusing entry to asylum seekers at the border, with 493 refusals recorded between 8 May and 4 August 2025 [1][2]. The government has continued extending the controls beyond their initial temporary status, citing migration and security concerns [1][2].
The total cost breakdown is based on government figures obtained by the Funke media group [7]. However, one case was ruled unlawful by the Berlin Administrative Court regarding the repatriation of asylum seekers [8].
References:
- Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat
- Funke Mediengruppe
- Left Party
- Der Spiegel
- Süddeutsche Zeitung
- ZDF
- Funke Mediengruppe
- Berliner Verwaltungsgericht
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