Germany faces rising costs amid EU migration policy shifts

The European Union is proposing a new migration plan costing 81 billion euros, aimed at tripling funds for border protection and internal security. This comes as Frontex reports a decrease in irregular border crossings, noting a 35 percent drop in the first eight months of 2026 compared to the previous year.

In Germany, migration-related expenditures reached 24.8 billion euros in 2025. This equates to approximately 68 million euros per day. These costs include social transfers, integration programs, asylum processing, and support for Ukrainian refugees, who have numbered over one million in Germany since the Russian invasion.

Estimates regarding the long-term fiscal impact of migration in Germany vary widely. While federal and state government records account for hundreds of billions in direct expenditures, some independent analyses and academic studies suggest the total economic impact, including broader societal follow-on effects, could be significantly higher.