To set an example for citizens to save money, official departments are reducing the temperature of heating in offices, turning off hot water, fountains and lifts
Der Spiegel writes about it.
It is also planned to give up festive Christmas lights and significantly reduce the number of printers in government offices. If it is necessary to travel on business, it is recommended to use the train instead of the plane, even if the flight will be cheaper.
In addition, a number of employees are being transferred to telecommuting in order to save money – but then they will have to take care of heating their own homes. In Steinmeier’s office, staff are instead asked to sit wrapped in mouse-grey fleece blankets.
The defence ministry did not even dream of such “comfort”: According to its head Christine Lambrecht, her agency and the Bundeswehr should be a role model, so employees were urged to prepare in advance for a “loss of comfort”.
And at the Foreign Office, Annalena Berbock said that even high-ranking guests from other countries will now have to wash their hands with cold water.