#rp26 speaker Siri Hummel: Civil society under pressure

In February 2025, the CDU/CSU submitted a minor inquiry containing 551 questions to the German Bundestag. In a 32-page long document, the faction fundamentally questioned the party-political neutrality of many civil society organizations and, in connection with this, the legitimacy of their funding. The inquiry itself was preceded by nationwide protests calling for the CDU to distance itself more clearly from the AfD, which had secured a majority vote with the support of the in parts far-right party in order to tighten migration policy. The reactions to the CDU/CSU's were strong. However, it is not only since last year that civil society structures in Germany that advocate for universal human rights have been under increasing pressure.

The CIVICUS Monitor documents this ongoing deterioration in civil society's scope for action in Germany, driven by selective legal and administrative interventions that deliberately make it more risky for civil society to exercise its criticising and monitoring functions. In addition to structural uncertainties surrounding funding for non-profit organizations, repression against individual protest movements is also contributing to Germany's increasing shift toward more “restricted” civil society engagement. But how are organizations being targeted? By which actors? And with which argumentation and narratives? Political and communication scientist Siri Hummel will discuss all of this at #rp26.

Dr. Siri Hummel is the director of the Maecenata Institute for Philanthropy and Civil Society and is a political scientist and communications scholar. Her research focuses on democracy and civil society, as well as equality in civil society and foundation research. She is also a lecturer in the Nonprofit Management and Public Governance program at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.