Shortly before the German parliament's summer recess, lawmakers approved a series of reforms aimed at getting Germany back on track, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Among the 34‑point package is a controversial proposal to significantly alter the Freedom of Information Act (IFG), in force since 2006, which critics say could effectively abolish the law that grants every individual the right to access federal agency information.\n\nThe coalition of CDU/CSU and the center‑left SPD argues that in an era of global cyberwarfare all government data must be treated with exceptional confidentiality. Their plan would limit requests to "natural persons" only, exclude associations and organizations, raise fees substantially, and redact employees’ names to protect them from hostility.

It also explores restricting the right to German and EU citizens living in Germany and handling critical infrastructure, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism data with greater care.\n\nOne hundred ten civil society groups—including Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Transparency International—have issued an open letter urging the government to stop the reforms, warning that limiting access, imposing mandatory justification, excluding organizations, and raising fees to exorbitant levels amounts to abolishing freedom of information. Environmental expert Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace warned that curtailing the right to information would hinder oversight, public participation, and trust in climate and infrastructure policies. Official figures show approximately 105,000 IFG requests were submitted between 2015 and 2022, with most granted, fueling fears that the trend could reverse.\n\nEven members of the ruling coalition have expressed doubts; SPD Bundestag committees on Interior, Digital Affairs, and Consumer Protection issued a joint statement declaring that any curtailment of existing transparency rights must not proceed, and the SPD parliamentary group will not approve any move to abolish the current level of openness provided by the IFG.

Opposition Green Party lawmaker Konstantin von Notz denounced the changes as "a drastic step backward from hard‑won civil rights" under the pretext of adapting to new security threats.