German Government’s Dual Headquarters: Over 10 Million Euros Spent on Berlin-Bonn Division in 2025
Berlin, March 20 – The German government incurred expenses exceeding 10.3 million euros last year to manage its administrative division between Berlin and Bonn. This revelation comes from the latest biennial division cost report, submitted by the federal government to the Bundestag’s Budget Committee, a copy of which was obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa).
The current expenditures represent a significant increase of 1.2 million euros compared to the costs reported for 2023. A substantial portion of this increase is attributed to official travel, which surged by 15.3 percent to over 5.9 million euros. The report cites two primary reasons for this escalation: the lifting of the last COVID-19-related restrictions, leading to a higher volume of business trips, and increased prices for train travel and hotel accommodations.
Historical Context of the Division
The continued presence of parts of the German government in Bonn is a legacy of the 1994 Bonn-Berlin Act. This legislation stipulated that “the majority of the workplaces of the federal ministries are to be retained in the federal city of Bonn.” Currently, six of the 16 federal ministries still maintain their primary headquarters in Bonn. Ministries whose main seat is Berlin also operate a secondary office in Bonn. Despite this, the report indicates that only a quarter of the total personnel is now based in Bonn, with a growing proportion shifting towards Berlin.
Bonn served as the provisional seat of government during Germany’s division from 1949 to 1973 and as the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1973 to 1990. During this period, East Berlin was the capital of the German Democratic Republic. Following reunification, Berlin was declared the capital of the unified Germany.
Political Criticism and Calls for Change
Dietmar Bartsch, the budget policy spokesman for the Left Party in the Bundestag, strongly criticized these ongoing costs and called for an immediate end to the Berlin-Bonn division. “This expensive internal German traveling circus must be stopped immediately. Berlin is the capital! This reality should finally be reflected in the division report,” he told dpa. Previous demands to end the division have consistently been rejected in Bonn.
The debate surrounding the dual headquarters highlights the persistent financial and logistical challenges associated with maintaining government functions across two cities. As costs continue to rise, the call for a more centralized government structure in Berlin is gaining traction among certain political factions.
