German councils demand funds for bunkers, civil protection

German local councils on March 9 called for the government to refurbish out-of-use bunkers.

The comments were made by André Berghegger, the head of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, to the Funke media conglomerate, according to DW.

They come as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its third year and a day after Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited civil protection facilities in Finland.

Berghegger said that the level of threat had changed and that this was shown by "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

He demanded Germany build more bunkers, saying that only 600 out of the 2,000 public shelters built during the Cold War still exist.

"There is an urgent need to put decommissioned bunkers back into operation," he said, adding that the shelters currently in operation can accommodate around 500,000 people.

He said that modern shelters need to be built and that underground car parks and railway shafts in urban centres could also be used.

Berghegger said additional sirens needed to be installed, saying Germany could not "rely solely on mobile phone apps."

Berghegger urged Berlin to "raise large sums of money to ensure resilience at home."

He called for at least €1 billion each year over the next 10 years to be earmarked for civil protection, adding that this should come from the regular federal budget.

Berghegger criticized the current federal budget, saying that €40 million in funding for civil protection had been cut.

"Now it's not just about making the Bundeswehr capable of defence. It's about protecting the population from war-related dangers in general," Berghegger said.

Germany's government has raised a special fund of €100 billion ($109 billion) for the military.