German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing mounting criticism after his government unveiled plans to increase federal funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), despite years of pledges to rein in ideologically driven groups hostile to conservatives.
According to the latest budget proposal, the family ministry, led by Karin Prien (of Merz’s centre-right CDU party), intends to expand funding for the flagship programme ‘Demokratie leben!’—a programme aimed at promoting “democratic values” and combatting “extremism.”
Although the government has announced austerity measures in several areas, NGO funding is set to rise by €10 million next year, taking its total budget to €191 million for 2026.
What once appeared to be a defining issue for the CDU has instead become a symbol of the chancellor’s willingness to accommodate his coalition partners, the Social Democrats, at the expense of his own campaign promises.
Only months ago, the CDU lambasted the previous left-wing government for funnelling taxpayer money into organisations they said acted as partisan campaigners under the guise of civil society.
Earlier this year, the CDU/CSU alliance submitted 551 parliamentary questions to the then-government, demanding clarity on which associations were being financed and whether they had ties to political actors.
Much of that inquiry centred on groups that organised demonstrations “against the Right,” often targeting the CDU and Merz personally.
However, once in office, Merz abandoned his commitment to scrutinise these organisations.
His government’s responses to subsequent parliamentary questions from the right-wing opposition Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party were virtually identical to those given by Olaf Scholz’s previous cabinet, insisting there was “no need for reform.”
Controversies over specific recipients have further inflamed the debate.
The Heidelberg-based association Teilseiend, which received €599,500 in 2023, was accused of antisemitic rhetoric after members branded Zionists a “disease” and questioned whether Germany was “degenerating into a Jewish state.” Despite this, the group was listed in official funding files as part of a “competence network” against anti-Muslim prejudice.
