The Ministry

The Federal Ministry of the Interior has a broad range of tasks, which is reflected in its highly differentiated structure. It is based in Berlin and Bonn and oversees a variety of agencies. Since 12 July 1999, Berlin has been the designated primary location of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Roughly 900 staff work at the 13-storey ministry building in Berlin’s Mitte district; another 200 staff have their offices in federal property at Fehrbelliner Platz and in the Bundeshaus building in the Berlin district of Wilmersdorf. The remaining 400 staff members work at the ministry’s offices in Bonn; at the office of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, also in Bonn; at the Federal Academy of Public Administration (BAköV) in Brühl; and at the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union in Brussels. An additional 50,000 staff work for the agencies within the ministry’s remit, including roughly 40,000 in the Federal Police. Under the Budget Act passed by the Bundestag, the 2009 budget for the Federal Ministry of the Interior and its subordinate agencies is approximately €5.6 billion. Spending on internal security accounts for nearly two-thirds of total annual expenditure.