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Merz secures help for municipalities: financial crisis and road construction in focus!
Chancellor Merz assures municipal help for social costs, emphasizes financial problems and announces Wolgast bypass.
Merz secures help for municipalities: financial crisis and road construction in focus!
Today, November 5, 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is making headlines by pledging support to municipalities in Germany. The impetus for this commitment was an incendiary letter from the mayors of the state capitals of all 13 federal states, which drew attention to the explosive financial situation of the municipalities. Loud bayerische-staatszeitung.de Merz emphasizes the urgency of this support in order to actually be able to fulfill legal obligations.
Municipalities are facing enormous financial challenges, caused by constantly increasing expenditure in areas such as youth welfare, integration assistance, social assistance for care and maintenance advances. Merz explains that the solution should lie in correcting the expenditure side. Ultimately, neither the federal government nor the states could compensate for the cost increases through increased grants to the municipalities. In this context, the Chancellor emphasizes that it is important to use public money carefully without questioning the effectiveness of the welfare state.
Political reactions and challenges
However, the reactions to Merz's statements remain mixed. Britta Haßelmann, leader of the Green Party, criticizes the Chancellor's unclear and vague statements and calls for concrete measures to support municipalities. While part of the political landscape relies on the announced support, the question of practical implementation and its extent remains open.
Another announcement from Merz concerns the bypass in Wolgast. Merz makes it clear that the transport budget was increased by three billion euros to finance the construction of the bypass. The project was originally supposed to cost 140 million euros, but expenditure has now increased to a total of 500 million euros. Completion of the bypass is targeted for 2028, two years later than originally planned. This is intended to relieve residents of the burden of through traffic, especially in the summer months.
Merz describes the construction project as complex and emphasizes that financial feasibility was not sufficiently taken into account during the planning. The importance of this project goes beyond just relieving traffic and also affects access to the popular tourist island of Usedom.
Additional information on waste disposal
The discussion about the financial situation of the municipalities and the upcoming construction projects, coupled with the daily requirements of waste disposal, shows how diverse the issues are that concern citizens. It remains to be seen how the political landscape will respond to the challenges and whether the announced support measures will actually take effect.