Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Thomas Strobl says of the Federal Government’s draft budget for 2024: “The cuts made by the traffic lights are a disaster for civil protection. Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine in violation of international law, the security situation has changed dramatically. Cyber attacks, espionage, propaganda and disinformation are tools of this war, which does not stop at national borders. Germany is also affected by this. In these times of crisis, we must strengthen the security authorities and civil defence. We state interior ministers had agreed across party lines with Federal Interior Minister Faeser on an additional ten billion for civil defence. But now the federal government wants to give not more, but less money to the Federal Agency for Technical Relief and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. In Baden-Württemberg, we have a different approach and are investing more instead of less. And overall, the federal government is also spending less money on internal security. That is the exact opposite of what we need in the area of internal security. Putting the brakes on our state’s security architecture means saving money in the wrong place.”