Germany: Political parties may participate in private broadcasting

 In Switzerland, political advertising on television is still prohibited, whereas in Germany, political parties are allowed to participate in private radio and television stations. However, according to the highest court, they are not allowed to influence program design. On Wednesday, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe declared a Hessian law to be unconstitutional, which generally prohibits parties from participating in private broadcasting companies. However, the legislator may prohibit shareholdings if this could influence program content.
The current ruling is intended to clarify the point at which broadcasting loses its constitutionally guaranteed freedom under the influence of a political party. Media laws in other federal states make the approval of broadcasting participation largely dependent on the share of the parties in the companies.