Berlin – Actually, our civil servants ought to be particularly frugal when it comes to accommodating political representatives and their employees. After all, they finance their office jobs from taxes that citizens pay. The planned accommodation of the Federal President and his employees during the upcoming renovation of Bellevue Palace and the administrative building of the Federal President’s Office, which was only completed in 1998, unfortunately shows no increased interest in an economical use of public funds.
In Berlin, for example, around 121,000 square meters of federally owned office space are vacant, which could be used after a renovation that has yet to be carried out, as has now been announced. Nevertheless, a new building, costing 137 million euros, is planned for the Federal President and his employees, which will serve as temporary accommodation for several years during the renovation of Bellevue Palace and the Federal President’s Office. The message of this decision is clear. It reads: We’d rather build new than renovate existing buildings. Apart from the fact that such a way of dealing with existing resources no longer fits in with our times, given climate change: such behavior has nothing to do with the responsible use of taxpayers’ money. It is hard to believe, to put it mildly, that among the 121,000 square meters of federally owned office space in Berlin there is not 3100 square meters to be built in the new building as temporary accommodation.
Five years are estimated as the useful life of the temporary accommodation by the Federal President and his 220 employees, for which a rent of 65 million euros was set. Who will move into the new building afterwards? Unfortunately, it cannot be said yet. Acting responsibly is different.
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