BERLIN, December 25. . The head of the Association of German Municipalities and Communes, Andre Berghegger, advocates increasing investment in social infrastructure and creating a federal fund to fight loneliness of at least 500 million euros.
“The fight against loneliness must not be lost because of lack of funding,” Berghegger told media group Funke. “In addition to significantly increasing funding for cities, a robust federal and state program to combat loneliness is also needed,” Berghegger told the Funke media group. The head of the association proposed the creation of a fund to fight loneliness, which, in his opinion, should be provided with 500 million euros for this legislative period.
“Cities are where loneliness first became noticeable, and where it can be tackled most effectively,” Berghegger explains. He believes that meeting venues should be open as often as possible “with no long breaks, no holidays, no sick days and no early closings.” He cited libraries and adult education centers as examples “as places of lifelong exchange and learning.”
Berghegger emphasized that loneliness does not only affect older people, but it has become a phenomenon that is passed from generation to generation. He concluded that the financing of the respective fund could be “paid from European Union funds, balances in the federal budget or redistribution of funds in individual budgets”.
According to recent data, about 25% of adults in Germany experience severe feelings of loneliness.
