German municipal association seeks €500m 'loneliness fund'
Germany needs a fund to tackle loneliness, which is now hitting under-30s as well as older people, a body representing 10,000 towns and municipalities said.
Germany could face a decade of loneliness unless the government boosts investment in social infrastructure, the country's Association of Towns and Municipalities has warned.
André Berghegger, the association's chief executive, told the Funke media group that "the fight against loneliness must not fail because of a lack of funding," urging federal and state authorities to act quickly.
He called for the creation of a €500 million ($589 million) "Loneliness Fund" alongside broader improvements to municipal financing.
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"Municipalities are where loneliness first becomes visible — and also where it can be most effectively countered," Berghegger said. Public meeting places must be reliably open rather than subject to long closures, holiday breaks, staff shortages or early closing times, he added.
Berghegger highlighted libraries and adult education centres as crucial hubs for social contact and lifelong learning, noting that they need stable staffing to remain open consistently.
He stressed that loneliness is no longer confined to older generations but has become a widespread, cross‑generational issue.
A 2024 German government study found that under 30s are now among the groups most at risk of loneliness, having risen steadily from 2005 to 2022.
