Using public funds to manipulate the public is not policy — it’s propaganda

By&nbspJoachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel, German lawyer

Published on 11/06/2025 - 16:37 GMT+2

Last week, German outlet Welt americium Sonntag uncovered a governmental ungraded that cuts consecutive to nan bosom of nan EU’s antiauthoritarian credibility.**

Leaked documents uncover that nan European Commission softly funnelled payer money to biology NGOs to money lawsuits and orchestrated campaigns — not against polluters, but against backstage German companies.

The cognition was carried retired successful nan shadows, pinch Brussels bureaucrats and activistic groups coordinating their moves down closed doors. 

The goal? Not policy. Not science. Politics. The documents propose a deliberate effort to steer nationalist sentiment toward nan EU’s ambiance schedule and to manipulate elected members of nan European Parliament. Millions of euros changed hands successful nan process. 

It gets better. According to nan report, Commission officials enlisted “Friends of nan Earth” to torpedo nan EU–Mercosur free waste and acquisition statement — astatine nan very infinitesimal different departments wrong nan aforesaid institution were moving to push nan woody forward.

That’s not strategy. That’s sabotage — utilizing nationalist money. 

When asked astir each this, nan Commission pleaded ignorance. A spokesperson told Euronews: “Contrary to media reports, location are nary concealed contracts betwixt nan Commission and NGOs.”

That is perfect. If nan contracts aren't secret, let’s spot them. And if they’re not published, they are secret. It’s that simple. 

It's not conscionable bad optics — it's a law problem

The existent ungraded goes deeper. A increasing number of NGOs person go governmental proxy armies — eager to beryllium hired, eager to beryllium used.

Some were founded for that intent alone. At this point, it whitethorn beryllium much honorable to telephone them GOs: governmental organisations pinch a PR budget. 

This isn’t conscionable bad optics. It’s a law problem. In Germany, nan Federal Constitutional Court ruled successful 2022 that then-Chancellor Angela Merkel violated nan Constitution erstwhile she publically condemned nan antiauthoritarian predetermination of a location politician — and demanded that nan consequence beryllium “reversed”.

Why? Because erstwhile nan authorities intervenes successful nan governmental process, it ceases to beryllium a neutral actor. And governmental neutrality of nan authorities is simply a law obligation. 

This rule applies successful Brussels too. EU institutions person nary correct to outsource governmental combat to organisations they bankroll — particularly erstwhile they’re backing attacks connected backstage entities aliases seeking to power authorities by stealth.

The Commission is bound by nan Charter of Fundamental Rights. If it can’t lawfully suppress dissent, it can’t salary personification other to do it either. Financing NGOs for nan intent of bypassing those constraints undermines organization equilibrium and constitutes a misuse of nationalist funds. 

When nan Commission attempts to indirectly instrumentality governmental measures done NGOs, it breaches nan rule-of-law responsibility to enactment wrong nan law, and whitethorn besides break basal authorities of others — including state of expression, state of association, and nan rule of adjacent treatment. 

Using nationalist costs to manipulate nan nationalist is not policy. It’s propaganda.

Using nan European Commission’s organization powerfulness to target companies aliases rig nan governmental process isn’t a strategy. It’s abuse. And nary magnitude of NGO window-dressing changes that. 

If nan Commission wants to take sides populist and basal rights, it should commencement by respecting both. 

Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel is 1 of nan astir renowned German lawyers specialising successful media rule and free speech. In 2024, he won 16 retired of 16 cases against nan German authorities earlier nan Federal Constitutional Court. He was nan first lawyer ever to get a preliminary injunction against Facebook for deleting and blocking users. His book “Die digitale Bevormundung” ("The Digital Paternalism"), published successful 2024, was a nationalist number 1 bestseller.