Bundes budget 2026: The most important projects and problems at an overview

The Bundestag has just decided on the budget of the ministries for this year. Another budget week? Yes, the first debate about the budget for 2026 is pending.

The household in 2025 was decided due to the traffic light fracture with a delay of several months and ultimately only applies for three months. This should not happen when it comes to household 2026. That is why he comes to the Bundestag immediately afterwards.

The cabinet has already approved the plans of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). The budget is doing two rounds in the Bundestag: after the first reading, the committees deal with the figures. In mid -November, the decisive meeting of the budget committee is then decided. This is followed by the second household week with the final vote on November 28th. If everything works, the household can come into force at the beginning of the year.

Vice Chancellor Klingbeil wants to spend more money than this year: specifically 520.5 billion euros (2025: 502.5 billion). However, some of his ministerial colleagues would have liked to have much more. Klingbeil rejected multi -claims to billions of multiple claims, for example from Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU).

Its ministry warned last week that a delay in many projects for the construction of motorways and federal roads was threatening- the federal government will not invest as much in the next few years as in the next few years. Klingbeil immediately answered the same way that Schnieder had to use its means effectively.

Because the federal government is already not enough to pay all the projects: Almost 90 billion euros are to be made in the core budget alone. In addition, there are loans from special pots for the infrastructure and the Bundeswehr, so that ultimately debts of 174.3 billion euros cost.

The federal government promises relief, for example, through a higher commuter flat rate and cheaper energy prices. A family of four can save around 100 euros per year, the Ministry of Finance is calculating. However, it is open whether the planned tax reductions for the catering for gastronomy make prices in restaurants cheaper. The federal government is in the stabilization of health and long-term care insurance- but higher contributions are still expected here.

At the same time, the federal government is investing record sums: from the core budget and special pots together around 126.7 billion euros. The money should flow primarily into the transport infrastructure, i.e. streets, rails and bridges, but also into AI research, social housing, modern hospitals, fiber optic cables and climate protection.

The federal police are expected to receive 1,000 additional police officers, the Bundeswehr up to 10,000 additional soldiers. Around nine billion euros are planned to support the Ukraine attacked by Russia.

Klingbeil expects the ministries to not spend part of the approved money anyway. He therefore hired eight billion euros less than would actually be used. This is quite realistic, even in earlier years such sums remained. So you cannot speak of large financing gaps for 2026 – the high loans make it possible.

The Federal Audit Office considers the budget to be unsolide and demands major savings on Klingbeil and the other ministers. Core state tasks could no longer be financed from the income permanently, according to an expert opinion. “Rather, the federal government lives structurally over its circumstances.” If you plan to finance almost every third euro “on pump”, a solid finance is far away. Rather, there is a risk of debt spiral.

The Greens criticize that black and red has no recognizable plan for the future. “She finances her business package on pump without editing central questions of the future,” criticized housekeeper Sebastian Schäfer. Instead of investing in social infrastructure, affordable energy, easily accessible local transport or more affordable living space, gaps would be created there. The Digital Ministry remains “a imagination without budget”. Climate protection has no priority and international cooperation is shortened irresponsible.

Union and SPD is already worried than the household 2026, but now for 2027. In financial planning, a hole of 34 billion euros is placed for this year – according to Klingbeil, such a huge gap never had to stop any coalition. And it looks worse for the following years, among other things, because then the special fund expires for the Bundeswehr and the federal government has to repay loans in the Corona crisis.