Good news from Berlin: cuts for the German-American centres withdrawn
At the final reconciliation session of the Bundestag budget committee on 4 September 2025, the originally planned cuts of 45 percent for the German-American centres were withdrawn.
Especially in the current global political situation this is an important and strong signal: the work of the centres as places of dialogue, democratic education and transatlantic exchange at subnational level can continue, including and especially away from the major cities.
Our sincere thanks go to everyone who contacted members of the Bundestag in recent weeks and campaigned for the funding to be preserved. We also thank the members of parliament with whom we were in close contact and who spoke up as committed voices for the German-American centres.
But this interim success is only one step: the budget negotiations for 2026 are already ahead, and the current draft again provides for a cut. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent it, and we welcome any support.
Contact: Association of German-American Centers (VDAZ)
Chair: Viktoria Harbecke, AmerikaHaus NRW e. V. · Deputy chair: Eric Fraunholz, Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Sachsen e. V. · Assessor: Dr David Sirakov, Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz e. V.
Email: mail@vdaz.de · Website: www.vdaz.de