Interior Ministry Halts Funding for NGO Asylum Counseling—Greens Outraged
Germany will end all funding for independent asylum counseling by 2027, cutting a program that provided 25 million euros annually to NGOs that advised over 100,000 migrants through application processes.
According to Junge Freiheit, the ministry under Federal Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU responded to a parliamentary inquiry from the Green Party faction confirming the decision to halt all financing for agency-independent asylum procedure counseling starting in 2027.
The program received 25 million euros in the 2024 budget, with ten percent of those funds specifically earmarked for legal counseling for so-called vulnerable asylum seekers, including those identifying as part of sexual minority groups. Funding continued through 2025 and 2026 before the planned termination.
Over 100,000 Migrants Received NGO Counseling
The ministry’s response revealed that 67,687 migrants received counseling from non-governmental organizations in the previous year alone. Combined with 2023 and 2024 figures, approximately 108,000 foreign nationals benefited from the taxpayer-funded advisory services.
The funded organizations include welfare associations and civil society actors tasked with ensuring migrants understand the asylum procedure’s purpose, process, and content while receiving ongoing consultation and support. The program also aimed to identify special needs among migrants to ensure consideration during asylum proceedings.
The initiative was launched in 2022 by the previous coalition government led by the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats.
Budget Pressures Drive Funding Cut
The Interior Ministry justified ending the program by citing a strained federal budget situation requiring priority setting. Following an evaluation of the counseling services by the Federal Office for Migration, the ministry decided against continued financing of the non-governmental organizations.
The full evaluation report is currently being finalized and is expected to be published in the second quarter of this year. Review of the 2027 federal budget remains ongoing.
Green Party Demands Reversal of Decision
Filiz Polat, Parliamentary Managing Director of the Green Party faction in the Bundestag, criticized the confirmed cuts. She argued that many asylum seekers cannot properly understand their rights and obligations in the procedure without professional support.
Polat called on Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the SPD to reverse course and maintain the funding. She warned that the abrupt cessation creates planning uncertainty for non-governmental organizations, potentially leading to complete elimination of counseling services and staff layoffs.
The Interior Ministry acknowledged it does not dispute that ending the funding will have consequences for the affected organizations, though it maintains the decision is necessary given current fiscal constraints.
With information from Junge Freiheit
