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Hessen Audit Flags Spending Overruns, €3.6 Billion 2024 Deficit

The watchdog warns that rising personnel costs plus using federal investment money to plug gaps would deepen the strain.

Overview

  • The 290-page Hessen360 review, which President Uwe Becker presented Tuesday in Wiesbaden, reports €35.24 billion in revenue against €38.85 billion in spending for 2024.
  • Becker called personnel costs the main driver of higher outlays, with state debt rising to about €52.9 billion last year.
  • Becker urged that the €7.4 billion in federal investment funds be reserved for new projects to avoid backfilling the core budget.
  • The audit found outdated disaster plans and no shared command software across agencies, and the state’s separate warning app Hessenwarn is now being evaluated against the federal NINA system.
  • Auditors also flagged likely wrongful COVID relief in a sample of 10,190 cases, identifying more than 2,000 suspect payouts worth roughly €16 million.