Dear members, trustees, friends and supporters of our foundation,
As the year draws to a close, I would like to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation (DES) for your help and diverse support. You have enabled the foundation to hold nearly fifty different events nationwide.
Their commitment was particularly valuable, indeed indispensable, because the German Bundestag continued to refuse to grant us the funding to which we were entitled. Both our DES and the AfD are taking legal action against this.
In its rulings of 1966 and 1986, the Federal Constitutional Court stated that the state must provide equal support to political party-affiliated foundations whose relevance is reflected in elections. Furthermore, the state may not influence the political content of these foundations. The federal government and the Bundestag have blatantly violated this ruling.
In the coming year 2023, a decision will be made on both our lawsuit against this before the Higher Administrative Court in Münster and the AfD's lawsuit before the Federal Constitutional Court. Our foundation trusts in the rule of law and is confident that the blatant and unlawful unequal treatment of the DES by the German Bundestag and the Federal Government will finally be brought to an end by the courts.
If this is not the case, we will take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.
If the political opposition believes it can silence us with its anti-democratic stance, it is sorely mistaken. With your help, we will continue to carry out our duties unwaveringly, with dedication and enthusiasm.
Until then, I wish you a peaceful holiday season and all the best for what is sure to be a difficult new year in 2023, with the request that you continue to support DES.
With warm regards
Erika Steinbach
Chairperson