Open letter: 139 organizations demand: “Hands off the IFG! Save freedom of information”

Open letter to the federal government, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the members of the Bundestag in the Interior Committee: “Hands off the IFG! – Save freedom of information”

Dear members of the Federal Government,
Dear Federal Minister of the Interior,
Dear members of the Interior Committee in the Bundestag,

The changes to the Freedom of Information Act (IFG) planned by the coalition committee represent a massive step backwards for social freedoms and alarm us deeply.

In times of growing mistrust of politics and state institutions, the government coalition wants to de facto abolish one of the Federal Republic’s most important transparency instruments. For 20 years, the IFG has enabled corruption and abuse of power to be consistently uncovered. If you implement the planned adjustments, it would not only be the end of a large part of the IFG applications, but also a fatal cut in press freedom in Germany.

In the coalition agreement of 2025, the Union and the SPD agreed to reform the IFG “with added value for citizens and administration”. The current decision turns this promise into the opposite: not a single one of the announced points promises added value for the population, each of them represents a massive step backwards for freedom of information. As a broad alliance139We call on you to civil society organizations, clubs, projects, associations and media: Stop these plans! Protect the IFG and freedom of information in its current form!

The decision by the Union and the SPD stipulates that in future only IFG applications with a proven “legitimate interest” will be permitted and civil society organizations, press representatives and people without German citizenship or Union citizenship will be excluded. Authorities could more easily reject applications for further area exceptions; names of all authority employees – including those in managerial positions – should be consistently blacked out. In the future, almost all applications would no longer be permissible and the remaining ones could result in massive costs for applicants or withhold important information. The result: The end of freedom of information.

Under the pretext of “reducing bureaucracy”, “state resilience” and protecting critical infrastructure, the Freedom of Information Act is being undermined. The following already applies today: The existing regulations enable authorities to protect sensitive security information. The federal government’s arguments, embedded in growth measures, therefore act more like a smokescreen to get rid of a law that has become inconvenient for administration and politics.

The numbers show: The coalition parties are working against the will of the citizens.

• According to a recent study commissioned by the federal government, a large part of the population (83%) would like to see more proactive transparency and freedom of information from the authorities.
• During the coalition negotiations in 2025, hundreds of thousands petitioned against the attack on the IFG and were able to fend it off.

If the government plans are implemented as planned, millions of citizens, journalists and organizations would be denied the right to freedom of information. The following will suffer: fact-based reporting, public control, civil society engagement and trust in politics. Democracy needs a strong IFG!

We as an alliance of 139 civil society organizations, clubs, projects, associations and media therefore call on you: Stop the plans to restrict the Freedom of Information Act and protect transparency for everyone!

deputieswatch
AG CRITICAL
Gleisdreieck Action Group
Action Alliance for Non-Smoking (ABNR)
AlgorithmWatch
General German Bicycle Club, Berlin Regional Association – ADFC Berlin eV.
Alliance “Legal certainty for political decision-making”
Amnesty International
anna elbe – vision for Hamburg
Medical Working Group on Smoking and Health eV
attack Germany
BarrierenWatch
betterplace lab gGmbH
BLUE 21 eV
BUND – Association for Environmental and Nature Conservation Germany eV
BUND Nature Conservation in Bavaria eV (BN)
Nationwide coordination group against human trafficking – KOK eV
BUNDjugend Bavaria
Citizens’ Initiative A100 (BI A100)
Citizens’ movement Finanzwende eV
Campact eV
Cannabis Association Germany
Center for Democracy and Information Integrity
Centre for Law and Democracy
Changing Cities e. V.
chaos computer club eV
cinematographers
ClientEarth gGmbH
Climate+Tech think tank for climate and resilience
codetekt eV – with news expertise against disinformation!
Coordination against BAYER threats
D64 – Center for Digital Progress
Datapoints Bremen
Democracy International e.V.
The Friday
German Society for Freedom of Information eV
German Journalists’ Union (dju) in ver.di
German environmental aid
German Fundraising Association eV
German Journalists Association eV
German Nature Conservation Ring (DNR)
German Network of Smoke-Free Hospitals & Health Facilities
the daily newspaper (taz)
The CONSUMER INITIATIVE eV (Federal Association)
Digitalcourage e.V.
Digital Society eV
ECCHR (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights)
European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
THE FIVE
FIAN Germany eV
Film Circle Hannover
foodwatch
Forum Fair Trade
Forum of Computer Scientists for Peace and Social Responsibility (FIfF)
Forum Ecological-Social Market Economy eV
Environment & Development Forum
FragDenStaat
Women Active Contra Tobacco eV
Freewriter eV
Fridays for Future Deutschland
futur eins eV
Gene-ethical Network eV
German Unix User Group (GUUG) e.V.
Society for Climate and Democracy eV
Society of Catholic Journalists in Germany (GKP)
Global Policy Forum Europe
GLS Treuhand eV
Green Legal Impact Germany e.V.
Greenpeace e.V.
GREEN LEAGUE eV
HateAid
Humanist Union eV
Open Society Initiative eV
INKOTA Network eV
innn.it eV
Innovation Association for Public Health eV
Institute for Therapy and Health Research, IFT-Nord gGmbH
Interface Tech analysis and policy ideas for Europe e.V.
International Association of Intersex People – Organization Intersex International Germany eV
Investigative Station
Youth Press Germany eV
Kabul airlift
Kleindatenverein
Klimadashboard.org
CURVE Wustrow eV
State Network for Citizen Engagement Berlin eV
Schleswig-Holstein State Association in the Federal Association of Practicing Veterinarians
Lausitzer Perspectives eV
LOAD eV – Association for liberal internet policy
LobbyControl
the V
Mehr Demokratie eV
NABU (Nature Conservation Association Germany) eV
NACOA Germany advocacy group for children from addicted families
nature solidarity e.V.
Network Climate Journalism Germany eV
Network Research eV
New German Media Makers e. v.
Non-Smoker Protection Association Germany eV (NRSV)
Grandmas against Right Germany eV
Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V.
Open Parliament TV
openPetition
Open Source Business Alliance – Federal Association for Digital Sovereignty (OSBA)
Paper Trail Media
Perspective Daily
Politics for Tomorrow / nextlearning e. V.
PowerShift
PRO ASYL Nationwide Working Group for Refugees
Pro Rauchfrei eV
ProjectTogether gGmbH
QueerScope | Association of Independent Queer Film Festivals in Germany eV
Reporters Without Borders
Republican Lawyers Association (RAV eV)
Save the Rainforest eV
Romero Initiative e.V.
Schleswig-Holstein Summer School e.V.
Schrödinger & Cat e. v.
Sea-Eye e.V.
Sea-Watch e.V.
SÜDWIND eV
SUPERRR Lab gGmbH
Sustainability Reporting Navigator
sharevalue eV
Transparency International Deutschland e.V.
Environmental Institute Munich eV
Our Curve eV
urgewald
Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers
Verband der Requisite & Set Decoration e.V.
Consumer Center Brandenburg eV
Association for Nature and Landscape in Brandenburg
Constitution blog gGmbH
World store Hailer
Workshop Economics eV
Whistleblower Network eV
Wikimedia Germany
Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) Deutschland e.V.
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