Campaign group warns German NGOs under pressure from authoritarians

Pressure on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is growing in Germany, mirroring a global effort to delegitimize pro-democracy groups, the Campact association said on Friday.

Campact, an online campaign group for progressive politics and social justice, is undergoing “systematic attacks” on its “credibility as an independent organization,” said chief executive Felix Kolb.

Presenting the group’s transparency report, Kolb said it is “becoming increasingly difficult for non-governmental organizations to do their work” worldwide.

NGOs are bastions of democracy and are being targeted by authoritarian politicians and media, he argued.

“Unfortunately, we are now also seeing the first signs of this worrying development in Germany,” said Kolb.

He referred to an effort from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc to investigate the political neutrality of numerous NGOs that receive federal funding in a questionnaire with 551 questions.

Campact has been accused of being directly or indirectly funded by taxpayers’ money, which the group successfully challenged in court.

“We will take legal action against false allegations and lies that call our legitimacy into question,” said Kolb.

He emphasized that Campact is financed exclusively by private donations.

Last year, the organization saw a record income of €24.6 million ($28.7 million), of which around 60% came from small donations of up to €50.