Cuts in the new federal budget: saving democracy

Negotiations continued until the early hours of the morning, but now the budget for 2027 is in place. The government is planning to spend 555 billion euros, plus investments in infrastructure and the Bundeswehr. In total, new debts of around 200 billion euros are planned.

These are billions that are hardly tangible - and at the same time they are often small sums that make a huge difference for individual projects. Because the federal government is also planning savings. While the budgets for defense as well as for labor and social affairs are growing overall, many ministries have to make savings - including the family ministry of Karin Prien (CDU).

This also applies to “living democracy”. The program supports organizations from civil society, such as victim counseling or dropout programs. Prien announced at the beginning of the year that she wanted to reorganize the program. The cuts planned in the ministry could also affect “Living Democracy” “to a small extent,” Prien announced in an interview with the taz. All providers had to reapply for funding.

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It is now clear how much should actually be saved in “Living Democracy”: The budget falls to around 170 million euros, which is around 20 million euros less than last year. The federal government had already decided on the cut, but the budget committee in the Bundestag did not change anything about it in its adjustment meeting.

Timo Reinfrank from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation reacted in horror. “The cuts and the reorganization of ‘Living Democracy’ threaten to become a historic turning point for the promotion of democracy.” East Germany will be hit particularly dramatically. “Exactly where democratic structures are under particular pressure, there is a threat of unprecedented dismantling.”

In parallel to the budget negotiations, the ministry decided which of the democracy projects should receive funding in the coming year. According to the ministry, there were recently around 1,200 expressions of interest - only around 150 received confirmations. Around 40 percent of the projects are being implemented by new providers, according to a spokesman.

According to taz information, projects from established providers such as Correctiv will not be taken into account - but one from the CDU-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation will. And savings should even be made in projects to combat anti-Semitism. The minister regularly describes the fight against anti-Semitism as her priority. “I emphasize again and again,” said Prien in the taz interview, that a “focus of the new program” will be the fight against anti-Semitism.

In response to a request from the taz, a spokesman for the ministry said: “Since the application process is currently only taking place, no statements can yet be made about specific funding levels for individual subject areas.”

The selected providers will be informed next week. Timo Reinfrank from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation reports that he is afraid to open his email inbox every morning. “Any day there could be a rejection of one of our democracy projects.”

For his foundation, the work against right-wing extremism is now “at stake”. Reinfrank accuses Prien of destroying tried and tested structures. “Those who do this lose knowledge, trust and networks that cannot easily be rebuilt.” This is particularly dramatic in Saxony-Anhalt, where the first providers have to start carrying out their work - even before an AfD government is even in office.

A spokesman for the ministry said that the high number of applicants demonstrated “the great potential and diversity of ideas of those involved in Germany”. When making the selection, the focus was on a “balanced support landscape of new and proven organizations” and on a thematic and regional breadth. Unfortunately, due to limited budget resources, not all project ideas could be funded.

It is all the more remarkable which projects there is money for. According to taz information, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's “Democracy Campus” project was selected for funding, although the project was only given a low priority in the independent review. A project run by the party-affiliated CDU foundation is set to receive funding, even though savings need to be made. However, other projects that were rated higher by the independent experts should not receive any funding. The responsible State Secretary Ingo Behnel is said to have made the decision to support the Adenauer Foundation's project. On the other hand, Behnel subsequently had a “Correctiv” project removed from funding. This emerges from documents available to the taz.

When asked by taz, Prien's ministry did not comment on the funding of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's project and the state secretary's rejection of the Correctiv project. A spokesman only stated in general terms that the proposals were evaluated by independent experts from science and practice - and ultimately by the ministry.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD), the federal government's Eastern Commissioner, steps into the breach. In the budget negotiations, she was able to push through a new funding program for East German civil society, which she had been preparing for some time, with a budget of 10 million euros.

Kaiser recently met with activists from the East German federal states, many from Saxony-Anhalt - and promised a “protective shield for civil society in East Germany”. The Eastern Commissioner had hoped for a higher sum - but was satisfied. The 10 million euros are “a strong signal” because: “Civic engagement needs financial support, not just applause.”

It is still unclear which projects will actually receive money and how quickly. According to taz information, funding for long-term structural projects as well as medium and small initiatives should be possible. It is not new projects that are to be funded, but rather existing projects.

Time is of the essence: AfD man Ulrich Siegmund wants to be elected Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt as early as mid-December. And his party recently left no doubt that it wants to end the democracy projects.