Wegner calls for a complete relocation of the ministries: Berlin finally united!

Wegner calls for a complete relocation of the ministries: Berlin finally united!

On September 23, 2025, Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) once again advocated a complete relocation of the federal ministries from Bonn to Berlin. Wegner argues that this move would not only increase the government's efficiency, but also underscore the need for full integration after German unification 35 years after its implementation. “The current structure leads to unnecessary costs and environmental pollution,” says Wegner.

There are currently six ministries whose primary headquarters remain in Bonn: Education and Research, Health, Agriculture, Environment, Defense and Development. However, a significant proportion of ministerial jobs are also located in Berlin. The [Berlin/Bonn Law](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin/Bonn Law), which came into force on May 7, 1994, regulated the move of parliament and parts of the government to Berlin. Since then, adjustments have been discussed again and again, but Wegner's initiative has recently met with resistance. North Rhine-Westphalia, Bonn's home region, has so far blocked these efforts.

Public opinion and legal framework

A current survey by the opinion research institute YouGov shows that a majority of Germans, 53 percent in total, are in favor of a complete move. In East Germany, 65 percent are in favor of a complete relocation, while in North Rhine-Westphalia 43 percent are of this opinion. In Berlin, over two thirds of the population would like the entire government to be based in their city.

Although the Berlin/Bonn Act provides for the majority of ministries to remain in Bonn, only 27 percent of ministerial jobs are actually located there. Wegner highlights that the annual cost of business trips between Bonn and Berlin is around 20 million euros, in addition to the ecological consequences of these trips.

Financial aspects and future developments

The estimated cost of moving all federal ministries to Berlin is four to five billion euros. Wegner argues that this investment is justified due to the long-term savings and the elimination of duplication of structures. Since the summit for the reunification of Germany, which settled the capital question, the ministries have been divided between Berlin and Bonn, which ultimately was subject to repeated changes.

The Bonn/Berlin law itself is a consequence of the capital city resolution of 1991, which designated Berlin as the seat of government. In recent years, however, there have been repeated initiatives pushing for a reorganization of the ministry location. The last change to the law took place on December 12, 2019, and the new Bonn Treaty, which provides for a financial compensation regulation, is scheduled to be adopted in 2024 in order, among other things, to strengthen the international organizations in Bonn.

After 30 years, the discussion about the division of ministries between Bonn and Berlin remains a current and important topic in German politics, which shapes the country's social and political structures.