Printed materials and media are issued by the German Federal Government within the framework of its public relations work. They may not be used by political parties, election campaigners or election helpers for the purposes of electoral campaigning during an election campaign. This applies to elections to the German Bundestag, the state parliaments of the individual federal states and to local elections, as well as to elections to the European Parliament. In particular the distribution of such materials at electoral meetings or at information stands of political parties, and inserting, sticking or printing party-political information or advertising in or on such materials constitutes improper use thereof. Neither may such materials be passed on to third parties for the purposes of electoral campaigning. Irrespective of when, in what way and in what numbers the materials are received by a recipient, they may not be used in any way that could be construed as the government favouring one political group over another even without time restrictions prior to a forthcoming election.

Brochures and other media issued by the German Federal Government are not intended for commercial distribution.