Overview

• The Haushaltsausschuss approved an institutional subsidy of €250,000 for R21 in its 4 September budget clean-up session, and the 2025 budget has since been adopted.
• Funding comes from a Bundespresseamt pool for institutional support, which already subsidizes several policy organizations across the spectrum.
• The item was introduced shortly before the vote by Union and SPD, with documents dated 2 September, prompting scrutiny of the timing and process.
• Green lawmakers condemned the allocation as 'skandalös' and warned of AfD rapprochement, while reporting notes unease within parts of the SPD.
• R21 says it will file the formal application to receive the funds and defends the decision as supporting pluralism, as the same package also boosted the Deutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft to €1.75 million annually.