Dear Mr. Merz, Dear Mr. Dobrindt,
On February 21, 2025, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group submitted a Kleine Anfrage (minor interpellation) to the German government, requesting information on the potential political bias of 17 German non-governmental organizations and whether any public funding may have been used for partisan political activities.
This inquiry has caused concern not only among the German public. It has also raised serious questions within the international civil society community—already deeply shaken by the recent and devastating withdrawal of U.S. funding—about the reliability of future German governing parties when it comes to promoting democracy and protecting independent civil society. Over the past few years, the far-right AfD has repeatedly targeted organizations opposing its authoritarian worldview with similar inquiries at both federal and state levels.
German organizations engaged in international democracy promotion and cooperation with independent civil societies around the world—including, of course, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (affiliated with the CDU) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (affiliated with the CSU)—are well aware of how such broad accusations can sow mistrust and cast doubt on the legitimacy of civil society actors and the work of NGOs.
Based on our experience working in Eastern Europe (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia), we are all too familiar with the accusation that NGOs use public funds for political activities. Such claims are often used to justify restrictive laws governing civil society in the region. In many countries, these laws have led to the destruction of independent civic spaces and the imprisonment of critics of authoritarian regimes and active members of local civil society. The devastating effects of excessive state control over civic activity can also be observed today in EU member states such as Hungary or Slovakia. It is deeply alarming that future governing parties in Germany are now adopting such methods—implicitly legitimizing the approaches of authoritarian regimes. Europe is watching!
We express our full solidarity with the organizations affected by the inquiry. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group should not carelessly endanger Germany’s reputation as a strong partner to both domestic and international democratic civil society—especially now, in the wake of the collapse of U.S. support structures. We expect the CDU/CSU to respect international legal standards and conventions and to continue supporting civil society actors.
Sincerely
Austausch e.V.
Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom gGmbH
Civil Society Forum e. V. (Vorstand)
CISR e.V.
Comoon e.V. (Vorstand)
Coopera e.V. (Vorstand)
Dialogue for Understanding e. V.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde e.V.
Europäischer Austausch gGmbH
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker e. V.
jinn gGmbH
Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights e.V.
MEMORIAL Deutschland e.V. (Vorstand)
n-ost e.V.
OWEN e.V.
Science at Risk Emergency Office / Akademisches Netzwerk Osteuropa, akno e. V
