German ministries spend €5.8 million on office décor, drawing taxpayers' criticism

Published on 11 November 2026 - 21:58 GMT+1 Since the start of the current legislative term in May 2025, the federal government has spent around 5.8 million euros on new furniture, furnishings and decorations. This emerges from a government response to a parliamentary question from the AfD group in the Bundestag. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The figures have now triggered sharp criticism from the German Taxpayers' Association. Its president, Reiner Holznagel, is particularly critical of what he sees as a contradiction between calls for savings directed at the public and the spending within the machinery of government. "There is supposedly no room to relieve the burden on citizens, but when it comes to their own government apparatus, the belt is pretty loose - for decor and the like!", Holznagel told the German newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. Foreign Office, Defence and Finance most spending Spending by the 16 federal ministries has totalled about 5.8 million euros since May 2025. The figures cover not only classic items of furniture but also lamps, carpets, curtains, paintings, sculptures and ornamental plants. The Foreign Office was particularly free with its money. There, spending on furniture, lamps, carpets and decoration has added up to €840,062 since the start of the legislative term. In 2026 alone, around €256,000 went on lamps, carpets and curtains. In second place comes the Defence Ministry with around €813,000. The Federal Finance Ministry has also recorded substantial expenditure. Since May 2025, the department led by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) has invested more than half a million euros in furniture, equipment and decoration. Finance Ministry tops the league Particularly striking is a look at decoration costs alone. Here, the Finance Ministry heads the list. Since May 2025, it has spent a total of €45,077 on decorations. That means more than a quarter of the federal government's total decoration spending is accounted for by this ministry. The Finance Ministry has also incurred substantial costs for office furnishings at the senior management level. In 2026 alone, 47,737 euros have so far been spent on refitting the relevant offices. Taxpayers' association calls for more responsible spending policy For the German Taxpayers' Association, the figures are a reason to question the federal government's spending policy in principle. Holznagel argues that anyone demanding thrift from citizens must apply the same standards within their own authorities and ministries. He sees the Bundestag's budget committee as having a particular responsibility. It can now demonstrate how seriously politicians take the savings measures they have announced. The debate is likely to raise the broader question of how responsibly the federal government handles taxpayers' money. Especially at a time of strained public finances, the public is likely to watch closely how politicians spend their money.