G7 summit in Elmau: Dispute over 180 million euros in security costs

Created: 06/30/2022, 05:14

By: Christian Deutschländer, Andreas Seiler

There was a large police presence around the protests against the G7 summit in Elmau.

© imago stock&people

A police force that was huge even for Bavaria protected the G7 summit.

Was that oversized and wrongly planned?

Better too much than too little, says the interior minister.

Munich – We are usually happy twice about high-ranking guests, whether they are mothers-in-law or US presidents.

That they come.

And that they go again.

In any case, on Tuesday afternoon you can hear Markus Söder say into every accessible microphone that it went really great with this G7 summit in Elmau.

"Now it's good again." In other words: Have a good trip home;

and not again any time soon.

That hits the basic mood in many places: satisfied with the course of the giant summit, but you don't want to experience it often.

"Now others can show whether they can do it just as well," says Söder.

It is a request to the federal government not to approach Bavaria again soon with a summit request, even if there was a safe, accident-free course in 2015 and 2022.

Too many police officers at the G7 summit in Elmau?

Herrmann: "I'd rather have a few more to be on the safe side"

"It was a really enormous effort," agrees Joachim Herrmann, the Minister of the Interior.

He is responsible for one of the largest operations in Bavarian police history, so large that not even he can get the exact numbers together.

According to state police chief Michael Schwald, there were probably 18,000 officers in Munich and Elmau, plus around 7,000 federal police officers and the BKA in an undisclosed number, as well as border controls.

Nobody counts the men with the sunglasses in the US limousines anyway.

Looking back, everyone involved knows that there were far too many officers, judging by the number of counter-demonstrators.

Of course, Herrmann emphasizes that other risks were also involved, such as terrorism, and that countless police officers were on standby in case the heads of state took the freeways and every meter was to be protected.

"Too many?" he mumbles when asked, "I basically can't see too many police".

Unfortunately, at summits, you had to experience elsewhere what happens if you don't put in enough effort.

So: "It's better to have a few more, just to be on the safe side."

G7 summit in Elmau: Politicians take stock – security costs of a good 180 million euros

In any case, the police and politicians are satisfied with the deployment record.

There were hardly any injured officers.

When searching the castle forest, there should have been two injuries, type hiking accident.

There is no known damage to property in the region.

“The receipt of damage reports was zero.

Zero!” says Herrmann.

However, the eight federal police cars that burned down in Munich cloud the balance sheet.

There were a total of 37 arrests.

1400 personal details were recorded.

Those responsible on site also draw a positive conclusion.

The summit was peaceful and largely trouble-free, says police chief Manfred Hauser.

The population endured the large-scale operation with the unavoidable impairments with a lot of understanding and patience.

"Our efforts have paid off," says Hauser.

G7 summit in Elmau: Bavaria argues about security costs

The mission now has an aftermath one way or the other.

Bavaria continues to argue with the federal government about the security costs of a good 180 million euros.

There will also be debates in the state parliament, Green Party leader Katharina Schulze announced.

"It was definitely a monumental operation," very exhausting for the police, she says after a visit to the site.

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The concept will be discussed later.

Above all, it allows criticism of the Elmau election to shine through.

"There are places where you have to send fewer police forces into action and still be able to hold a safe and successful summit."