Overview
- A report published on September 30, 2026, based on documents obtained by t‑online, shows Kulturstaatsminister Wolfram Weimer asked the Verfassungsschutz in early 2026 to examine three nominated bookshops and those shops were removed from the prize list.
- Internal files say the BKM’s fachabteilung had recommended in October 2025 that all 118 jury‑nominated bookshops should receive the award, so higher‑level officials — not the specialist unit — pushed for further checks.
- The material used to justify the referrals consisted largely of the shops’ own website descriptions rather than new investigative findings, and the BKM labeled its correspondence with the Verfassungsschutz as classified (Verschlusssache).
- Courts and legal experts are now challenging the procedure: a Berlin administrative court barred Weimer from repeating that the state cannot fund extremists, and scholars including Christoph Möllers plus a Bundestag scientific service review say parts of the used vetting method (the Haber‑Verfahren) may conflict with the Basic Law.
- The case has triggered lawsuits, deepened mistrust between the ministry and the cultural sector, and could limit future use of domestic intelligence in cultural funding decisions if courts rule the procedure unlawful.