On October 28, 2025, the mayors of the capital cities of all 13 federal states across Germany joined forces in a historic nationwide appeal to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and all state governments, calling for a cross-party readjustment of the principles of municipal funding. The Lord Mayors of Stuttgart and Munich, Dr. Frank Nopper and Dieter Reiter, are taking the upcoming meeting of the Budget Committee as an opportunity to once again urgently draw attention to the extremely precarious situation of the municipalities.
Dr. Frank Nopper, Lord Mayor of the state capital Stuttgart:
"The Budget Committee must clear the way for tangible relief for local authorities, which must come as early as 2026. We are not only in heavy seas in the municipalities, the ship is threatening to capsize. Chancellor and Finance Minister are now fully challenged."
Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of the City of Munich:
"I can only urge that this historic joint call for help from all state capitals be taken seriously by the federal government and the federal states. Action must be taken now to prevent municipalities from no longer being able to cope with public housing construction, the expansion of the education system, public transport or other important services for citizens."
