20260316 Regierungshandeln muss transparent sein

Hands off Berlin’s Freedom of Information Act!

Arne Semsrott from Frag den Staat writes to us about yet another attack by the CDU/SPD Senate in Berlin on freedom of information — something we urgently need, especially in times of fake news and manipulation:

Just a few months after we used the Freedom of Information Act to publish thousands of pages on the CDU funding scandal, the Berlin Senate now wants to completely gut this very law and massively restrict freedom of information in Berlin. Freedom of information laws enable citizens, journalists, and organizations to access government documents and better understand administrative decisions. They form an important foundation for fact-based reporting, parliamentary oversight, and civic engagement.

The Senate cites disaster management as the rationale for its legislative package. It claims that too much transparency would endanger our critical infrastructure. In reality, however, this is our only means of holding our elected representatives accountable for their secret dealings. Frag den Staat therefore writes:

Under the guise of disaster control, a vote on the draft bill was to be rushed through as early as March 12 — but we were able to prevent that. An open letter from nearly 40 organizations and fierce criticism from Berlin’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information had an impact: After all, protecting critical infrastructure does not require an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act.

The current draft resolution provides, among other things, that ongoing criminal investigations can be broadly exempted from Freedom of Information requests. The draft resolution contains a total of ten new exemption provisions. Berlin would thus become Germany’s worst performer in terms of freedom of information. Conclusion:

Transparent governance does not pose a risk to the security and functioning of the state — it is a central component of democratic legitimacy and an important foundation for trust between the state and society.

Fight for freedom of information and sign petition!