Titled 'Political neutrality of state-supported organisations', the inquiry targets some of the most prominent organisations working in democracy, advocacy, environmental justice, animal rights, and non-profit journalism.
This statement was originally published on wan-ifra.org on 27 February 2025.
Germany’s incoming leadership sets a chilling tone on day one, by challenging NGOs, including media outlets, with formal parliamentary inquiry into state funding and political neutrality.
Just one day after winning Germany’s election, the incoming Christian Democratic Union party, led by Friedrich Merz, submitted a formal parliamentary inquiry directed at specific non-governmental organisations and non-profit media.
The kleine Anfrage (minor inquiry), titled Political neutrality of state-supported organizations, targets some of the most prominent organisations working in democracy, advocacy, climate, animal rights, and non-profit journalism.
These include localised networks such as Grannies Against the Right (Omas gegen Rechts), Foodwatch and German Environmental Aid, as well as global watchdogs Greenpeace and PETA.
Media organisations targeted include Netzwerk Recherche and WAN-IFRA member, CORRECTIV, a non-profit, community-driven media outlet.
The inquiry features a total of 551 probing questions that focus on state funding and political neutrality, “aiming to challenge the non-profit status of these organisations, and to cast doubt on our commitment to non-partisanship,” notes Joanna Krawczyk, Director at CORRECTIV.Europe.
The move is seen by many as a reaction to nationwide protests against CDU leader Friedrich Merz ahead of the Bundestag elections. However, unlike some of the other organizations that are part of the inquiry, CORRECTIV has neither called for demonstrations nor participated in them, notes Krawczyk.
“It can be assumed that CORRECTIV was targeted solely because of its critical reporting of Friedrich Merz and his lobbying connections in recent weeks. Our concerns extend beyond CORRECTIV and the non-profit media sector,” Krawczyk adds.
‘We see this as a worrying development for German civil society as a whole.’
Also see: Union puts pressure on non-profit organisations with 551 questions
Questionable questions
The questions posed to different organisations follow a similar framework; questions to CORRECTIV, extracted below, include:
- What proportion of CORRECTIV gGmbH’s financial resources come from government funding programs?
- What percentage of CORRECTIV gGmbH’s donations come from the business sector or party-affiliated foundations?
- Are there direct connections between CORRECTIV gGmbH and specific political parties or political actors?
- To what extent does CORRECTIV gGmbH influence political decision-making processes or legislative initiatives, according to the federal government?
CORRECTIV has published a full response to the 34 questions addressed to them, “as we believe transparency is crucial and have nothing to hide. Notably, many of these questions cannot be answered by the government, as they pertain to internal organisational matters.”
On Wednesday, 26 Feb, a petition was launched on the Campac Network; within two days, it had already garnered PER 120 000 signatures.
The petition notes the extraordinary scale and range of the probe: “This request represents an attack on independent journalism and civil society engagement. Organizations such as Correctiv, Omas gegen Rechts or environmental associations make an essential contribution to democracy. Suspecting them of ‘partisanship’ is clearly aimed at silencing undesirable actors and depriving them of financial resources. The 551 questions on 31 pages seem completely disproportionate. Typical ‘small requests’ range between 10 and 20 questions!”
