THE VOICE OF FREE EUROPE: Europe at Bay. Safety must be ensured following a number of high-profile Islamic attacks, according to event organizers.

Rising security costs could force the closure of Europe’s once peaceful traditional Christmas markets, a major tourist attraction.

The centuries-old tradition was once a steady source of income. Local communities benefited greatly from it. An association representing event organizers has warned about this issue.

Security expenses have risen by an average of 44% over the past three years. This information comes from the Federal Association of City and Town Marketing (BCSD). These increases follow a number of high-profile Islamic attacks in recent years.

In 2016, a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, slaughtering on the altar of diversity 12 people and injuring dozens.

Last year a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist rammed his car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five and injuring more than 200.

Organizers now must ring venues with concrete barriers, set up entrance checkpoints, install video surveillance and hire additional security staff.

In a recent BCSD survey of 258 market organizers, respondents identified higher security costs as their biggest challenge. The poll results suggested that more than 75% of markets require subsidies and only 1.6% turn a profit.

‘We need reliable, nationwide regulations that apply to all levels of government. Otherwise, we will soon find no one willing to take on the ever-increasing responsibility for events. Managing their financing will also be a challenge,’ the BCSD head, Gerold Leppa, said. 

‘Higher levels of the Berlin regime should not hold back. They must not offload the responsibility and financial burden onto local law enforcement and volunteer organizers.’

Federal officials have acknowledged the issue but offered no solution. Christmas markets face particular risks because they are freely accessible, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told Handelsblatt last week

He added that their security remains the responsibility of the states, not the federal government.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also told Bild that we can no longer hold Christmas markets even in smaller towns. A comprehensive security concept is required. However, he maintained that responsibility lies with regional police forces. His government cannot provide direct support.

Recently, an Afghan national ploughed through a rally in Munich, leaving dozens of people injured. A two-year-old girl and her mother later died in a hospital from injuries they suffered.

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