This result represents a significant improvement of 27.5 million euros compared to the original budget planning, but at the same time a deterioration of 41.4 million euros compared to the 2021 annual financial statements. City Treasurer Margarete Heidler: "Even if the annual result for 2022 is better than originally expected, we should not forget that Despite capitalizing the isolation amounts attributable to the special burdens of the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine in the balance sheet and robust tax revenue, we were unable to achieve a positive or at least balanced annual result in 2022. The insulation amounts totaling almost 60 million euros in the 2021 and 2022 financial years only lead to an ad hoc improvement in earnings, which will be offset by higher depreciation expenses and equity withdrawals in future years," said the treasurer.

"The overall economic situation in Germany, with interest rates on borrowed capital now rising again, the ongoing crisis situation in Ukraine and the wide range of municipal tasks, which will also shape  the 2023/2024 city budget (opens in a new tab), are major challenges for the City of Bonn. Municipal budgets are still under pressure and are repeatedly reliant on financial aid from the federal and state governments. Maintaining the financial capacity to act in the long term is therefore of great importance."

The total capitalized assets of the City of Bonn amounted to around 5.3 billion euros as at 31 December 2022 (up 129 million euros compared to the 2021 annual financial statements). However, this is offset in particular by rising liabilities from investment loans (+83 million euros to around 1.25 billion euros) and from loans to secure liquidity (+46 million euros to around 667.8 million euros). The brisk investment activity of 164 million euros was therefore also reflected in the loan portfolio. In contrast, equity fell by just under 13 million euros year-on-year to around 1.08 billion euros at the end of 2022.

Now that the Council has taken note of the preliminary annual financial statements for 2022, they will be forwarded to the City of Bonn's Audit Committee for review. Once this audit has been completed, the administration will present the 2022 annual financial statements to the Council again for final approval.

The preliminary annual financial statements for 2022 can be viewed on the  City of Bonn website (opens in a new tab).