Press releases

In Aachen, too, it’s “past midnight”: City Manager and City Treasurer Annekathrin Grehling drew attention to this fact during the “Municipalities at the Limit” action day on Monday, June 22. By symbolically posting a list of demands on the town hall door, she made the demands and goals public while also explaining the strained financial situation facing local governments.

The Aachen
Manifesto: Two large posters on the town hall door made it clear what was at stake: A picture of the town hall with the words “Town Hall Closed—No!” underscored the city’s demand to remain capable of taking action. A poster outlining the city’s demands made its position clear: To secure its future, Aachen needs, among other things, long-term, adequate funding for municipal services. To handle an ever-increasing number of tasks without offsetting funding, municipalities require reliable financial frameworks based on the principle “Whoever commissions, pays.” In addition, municipalities should be granted a genuine say in federal and state decision-making processes that affect them.

This is the only way Aachen can continue to uphold local democracy with its customary strength. Social assistance for families, children, and young people in need, as well as services in the areas of child care and education, can also be secured in the long term in this way.

Municipalities as Central Hubs of Democracy
City Treasurer Grehling emphasized: “In Aachen, we are doing everything we can to ensure our city remains capable of taking action even under difficult financial conditions. We are working with great dedication to find solutions that will allow us to remain a reliable partner for our citizens. In Aachen, we are demonstrating that it is possible to shape the future even under difficult conditions, but this is not sustainable in the long run; we cannot keep compensating for these ongoing and structural burdens indefinitely. Municipalities are the central hubs of our democracy, and that is why we all need a financial framework that does justice to the responsibilities that come with this role.”

The “Municipalities at Their Limit” Day of Action
: Across Germany, municipal budgets are sliding deeper and deeper into the red. Cities, counties, and municipalities are facing a historic financial crisis. They are burdened with an ever-increasing number of legally mandated responsibilities, which are also becoming increasingly expensive. The problem: The federal and state governments define these responsibilities but fail to ensure sufficient, long-term funding. With the “Municipalities at the Limit” Day of Action on June 22, 2026, cities, counties, and municipalities across Germany are calling on the federal and state governments to finally take action and restore balance to the municipal financial situation.