Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to comprehensively modernise civil protection and disaster control and has announced a ‘civil protection pact’. Around ten billion euros are to be invested in new vehicles, shelters, equipment and digital warning systems by 2029. Plans include around 1,500 new emergency vehicles, additional shelters and more joint crisis exercises involving the THW, rescue services, aid organisations and the German Armed Forces.
Currently, there are only 579 public shelters in Germany for around 480,000 people. Dobrindt therefore wants to convert existing tunnels, underground stations, underground car parks and basements of public buildings into shelters. In an emergency, these are to be equipped with food, toilets and camp beds and made locatable via an app or signage [1, 2].
[1] Innenminister Dobrindt will Zivilschutz mit Milliarden stärken | tagesschau.de (accessed on am 16.09.25)
[2] Zivilschutz: Dobrindt will bis 2029 zehn Milliarden investieren (accessed on 16.09.25)
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