Overview
- The Rechnungshof’s annual report says federal transfers of €211 million per year are largely substituting for projects the state would have funded itself, producing no significant net rise in Thuringia’s investment volume.
- Planned investment as a share of state spending falls to 16.1% in 2026 and 15.0% in 2027, down from about 16.5–16.7% in 2021 and 2023 according to the auditors’ comparison.
- Thuringia’s own-financed investment share is projected to drop to 7.2% next year from as high as 11.0% in prior years, which the Rechnungshof says weakens the federal program’s aim to stimulate construction and modernization.
- Rechnungshof president Kirsten Butzke called the pattern a 'Verschiebebahnhof' and said 'federal money is being used to balance the general budget,' a practice that the auditors link to rising deficits and growing debt risks.
- The report urges the state to pursue budget consolidation and structural reforms to protect long-term investment goals and warns that continued reliance on special federal funds could reduce work for builders and limit future policy choices.