Overview
- The Bundestag’s budget committee reduced Deutsche Welle’s 2026 operating subsidy to €395.4 million during its budget reconciliation session.
- Deutsche Welle says it will receive an additional €20 million for investments, taking the total 2026 envelope to €415.5 million.
- The combined funding remains higher than in 2024, when the broadcaster received €390 million for operations plus €20 million for investments.
- The union ver.di criticized the cut and urged Kulturstaatsminister Wolfram Weimer to secure sufficient financing to avoid a shrinking Deutsche Welle.
- DW oversight leaders Karl Jüsten and Achim Dercks called the move a wrong signal versus earlier coalition pledges, noting prior savings and rising pressures on independent media.