German chancellery’s extension costs rise by 177M euros

BERLIN — The cost of the German chancellery’s planned extension will rise to 777 million euros, which is 177 million euros more than initially planned. The increase in costs is related to integrating new climate protection measures, a tunnel for deliveries that hadn’t been included in the initial building plan, rising prices of material due to inflation and other issues, a senior German official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy said Thursday. The new extension of the sandstone building in downtown Berlin is needed because the chancellery’s staff has grown from 400 to 750 employees, officials said. The growing costs for the extension, which will include 400 new offices in a long, U-shaped annex, a helicopter landing site and a bridge across the Spree river, have been criticized by some who say that in a time of exploding costs of living for ordinary citizens, the government should not invest millions of taxpayers’ money into the building, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the extension.