The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) faction in Lower Saxony has formally requested access to all documentation pertaining to the funding of the State Office for Nature Conservation (Labün). This move comes after the State Audit Office raised concerns regarding a decade-long practice of distributing annual funding of €300,000 to eight nature conservation associations without proper review.
According to Carina Hermann, parliamentary CDU spokesperson, the request aims to “shed light on this dubious funding practice”. The concerns center around potential substantial legal violations, allegations of breach of trust and a perceived disregard for budgetary law over several years.
Responding to the CDU’s request, Environment Minister Christian Meyer of the Green Party dismissed the move as a transparent attempt to sensationalize the matter. He asserted that the opposition is overlooking significant facts, specifically the fact that the funding practice has already been altered. Meyer confirmed that the Ministry of Environment will provide the requested documents to the CDU.
Following the summer recess, the Budget Committee is scheduled to discuss the rebuke issued by the State Audit Office and to evaluate the future of the funding program. Notably, both Minister Meyer and the CDU, despite their differing perspectives on the initial concerns, have expressed support for continuing the funding program in principle.