German Interior Ministry Pushes to Gut Freedom of Information Act and Neutralize Transparency Platforms

• The German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) is planning significant rollbacks to the Freedom of Information Act (IFG), aimed at restricting access rights for parliamentarians, journalists, and citizens.
• The proposed measures include neutralizing transparency platforms like FragDenStaat and abolishing the independent oversight body responsible for monitoring compliance.
• The plans have drawn sharp criticism from civil society organizations and media, with widespread protests and petitions already underway.

Proposed Restrictions

• Limiting the scope of information requests by directing journalists and lawmakers toward press or parliamentary inquiry channels, which do not carry the same legal obligation for substantive disclosure as the IFG.
• Implementing mandatory identity verification for all IFG requests to block platforms like FragDenStaat from acting as intermediaries for citizens.
• Exempting research, education, and ongoing legislative processes from disclosure obligations.
• Restricting the obligation of government agencies to provide documents only if they were created within that specific agency, complicating access and increasing fees for applicants.
• Abolishing the designated unit within the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information that handles oversight and public complaints.

Context and Opposition

• Arne Semsrott of FragDenStaat characterized the proposal as a frontal assault on transparency, warning that the IFG would be "dead" if implemented.
• Experts from the network Netzwerk Recherche warn that removing oversight mechanisms is a strategic move to facilitate unchecked governance.
• A coalition of over 100 organizations and media outlets is protesting the plans, with an online petition gathering nearly 600,000 signatures.
• The SPD parliamentary group has issued a position paper stating they will not consent to any reduction in the existing level of transparency provided by the IFG.