The SPD parliamentary group is strongly opposing the recent decision of the Coalition Committee to dilute the Freedom of Information Act (IFG). In a joint statement released by its interior, legal, and network policy specialists, the party emphasized that the existing right of citizens, the press, and civil society to access information must not be reduced.
The SPD parliamentary group stated clearly that it would not support any action aimed at eliminating the current transparency level of the Freedom of Information Act. Instead, they argue for further developing the law so that more transparency is created and procedures are simplified. They specifically cited the digitalization of processing as a necessity, noting that it is unacceptable that the federal administration is still manually blacking out documents 20 years after the IFG came into effect.
Furthermore, the group called for a review of regulations regarding the publication of information concerning critical infrastructure, suggesting that contemporary assessments might differ from past ones. However, they affirmed that the state’s security situation is fundamentally ensured by the IFG.
The Coalition Committee’s resolution, according to reports, includes provisions that aim to focus state disclosure rights “in the future on natural persons who have a legitimate interest in information and who cannot obtain it through other regulations.” This specific phrasing is criticized for potentially limiting the informational rights of non-governmental organizations. Journalistic organizations had also protested the Committee’s proposal.
