Draft Budget 2027: Increase funding for youth association work under the KJP scheme!

The Federal Cabinet has approved the government’s first draft of the 2027 federal budget. According to initial estimates, the draft for the Federal Plan for Children and Young People (KJP) provides for a slight increase of just under 900,000 euros compared with the 2026 federal budget approved by Parliament. The allocations for youth voluntary services and the Federal Voluntary Service remain at the same level. The federal programme ‘Demokratie leben!’ (Living Democracy!), on the other hand, is to be cut by around 13 million euros.

The Bundesjugendring welcomes the fact that the KJP is not being cut in the government’s draft budget. At the same time, the proposed increase is not sufficient to implement the strengthening of the Child and Youth Plan announced in the coalition agreement. That agreement stipulates a ten per cent increase in funding for the KJP. This commitment must now be reflected in the federal budget at this level.

Youth organisations are established structures within child and youth welfare. They enable young people to organise themselves, participate, get involved and gain democratic experience – on a long-term, nationwide and reliable basis, and supported by all levels of government. To achieve this, youth organisations need funding tailored to their needs, for which there is still a shortfall of 2 million euros.

“Youth organisations are workshops for democracy. Here, young people experience that they can help shape things, take on responsibility and change society. And this applies from the federal level through the state level right down to the local authorities,” explains Wendelin Haag, Chair of the Bundesjugendring. Daniela Broda, Chair of the Bundesjugendring, also emphasises: “This work is effective and strengthens social cohesion. Anyone who wants to promote democracy must therefore also strengthen the structures in which young people put democracy into practice every day at a local level.”

The Bundesjugendring calls on all those responsible for youth and budgetary policy to improve the budget allocation for the KJP – and in particular for youth organisations as a core component of child and youth welfare – during the parliamentary process following the summer recess. Only in this way can the work of the associations be reliably strengthened and the objective set out in the coalition agreement – a significant increase in funding for the KJP – be further realised.

Themen: Nationale Jugendpolitik