Low water levels in the Rhine caused macroeconomic costs of €3-4 billion.

Omissions

• Multiple German sources (Die Zeit, SWR) cite the 2018 Rhine low water as causing a macroeconomic ('volkswirtschaftlicher') damage of €2.4 billion, not €3-4 billion.
• The available estimate for the 2026 low-water event cited by the research institute Prognos is 'economic damages of over €900 million', well below the claimed €3-4 billion.
• The claim states the costs were 'caused' (verursachte) by 'this' low water (dieses Niedrigwasser), suggesting the current 2026 event, but the widely documented €2.4 billion figure refers to the 2018 event; the figure is thus attributed to the wrong period and/or overstated.
• Sources note that the 2026 Rhine level was the lowest since 2018, but a full, official damage assessment for 2026 was not available at the time of the session.

Sources

• PrimaryPrognos AG"Niedrigwasser am Rhein: Wirtschaftliche Schäden von über 900 Millionen Euro möglich ... Für Unternehmen in Branchen, die auf den Rhein als Verkehrsweg angewiesen ..."
• SecondaryDie Zeit"So niedrig war der Wasserstand im Rhein seit 2018 nicht mehr. Damals verursachte das Niedrigwasser Kosten von 2,4 Milliarden Euro."
• SecondarySWR Aktuell"Das extreme Niedrigwasser 2018 hat einen volkswirtschaftlichen Schaden von 2,4 Milliarden Euro angerichtet."