That Court of Auditors Rhineland-Pfalz is seeing an increasingly dramatic financial situation among the state’s cities. The total deficit at the end of last year was about 625 million euros, according to the authority’s local report. This is the second highest minus since 2010. This year, the Court of Auditors estimates that the deficit will be much larger. Based on existing figures, the deficit after the first half of 2025 has reached 1.57 billion euros.
The Court of Auditors emphasized that the increase in revenues has not kept pace with the increase in expenditure. Even though the state has taken over most of the regional debt, the debt remains high and threatens to continue to grow rapidly.
The Court of Auditors calculated that nearly 40 percent of cities were unable to balance their coffers last year, including eleven of twelve townships and 22 of 24 counties. In view of this, in the opinion of Marcel Hürter, Chairman of the Court of Auditors, a joint effort by local authorities, states and the federal government is needed. Strict budgetary discipline is required, which must be accompanied by “consistent financial oversight”.
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