Merz pushes back on US funding for European 'civilizational heritage'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday pushed back against a new funding scheme from the U.S. State Department, worth nearly $5 million, intended to support "Western civilizational heritage" in Europe. Merz stated that such an initiative constitutes interference in German elections and highlighted the illegality of foreign monetary support for political actors in Germany.

The U.S. initiative, reported by the Financial Times, aims to "strengthen and develop democratic resilience, rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the defense of human rights in Europe." Beneficiaries are expected to address challenges related to national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare, aligning with a "common Western civilizational heritage."

Merz, responding to a reporter's question, emphasized Germany's policy of not interfering in American elections and expressed his desire for the U.S. government to reciprocate. He explicitly stated, "It is illegal to finance political parties in Germany from abroad," and expressed his assumption that international partners would respect these laws.

Senior U.S. State Department officials have previously denied interfering in European politics, even while holding meetings with politicians from Europe's far-right, including members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Merz's remarks.