Federal Voluntary Service: Financial Commitment for 2026

Following financial uncertainty among providers of voluntary services, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus (Greens) has promised clarity soon. The Federal Ministry of Finance has "now announced that it will release the commitment authorizations for voluntary services to an adequate extent," Paus said. They are necessary in order to be able to advertise positions that - as is usual with voluntary services - extend into next year. This involves binding financial commitments for 2026. Provisional budget management applies for the current year because no budget for 2025 was passed due to the breakdown of the traffic light coalition. Paus said that the announcement by the Federal Ministry of Finance would give the providers "the urgently needed planning security to advertise the positions as usual." Many young people are interested in voluntary service after graduating from school right now. Several associations had announced last week that significantly fewer volunteer positions could be filled or confirmed due to the financial uncertainty. According to a spokeswoman, the AWO planned for 1,300 places, but currently sees funds for 200. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) assumed that without the necessary commitments it would only be able to offer 60 places instead of the usual ten times as many.