Lobbying
Bundestag sharpens lobby register
Lobbyists now also have to state if they do not represent the interests of their actual client, but rather those of a third party. photo
© picture alliance / dpa
According to the SPD, 800 million euros are spent on lobbying in Germany every year – they welcome stricter information requirements. The opposition, however, doubts their effectiveness.
The previous option to refuse to provide information on financing will be deleted. Lobbyists now also have to state if they do not represent the interests of their actual client, but rather those of a third party. And if elected officials switch to the lobbyist camp, they must disclose current and previous positions and mandates.
Legislative procedures must be comprehensible, said Johannes Fechner from the SPD. Every year, 800 million euros are spent on lobbying in Germany. “This shows how strong and intense the efforts are to influence us here. Representing interests doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.” But it must be transparent.
CDU MP: “This law is completely screwed up”
For the Union, Patrick Schnieder denied that the law would achieve this. “This law is completely screwed up. It leads to more lack of transparency and more bureaucracy,” said the CDU MP. He criticized the fact that donations of more than 10,000 euros, which do not make up more than ten percent of the total donations, would no longer have to be published in the future. This means that “left-green frontline organizations” such as Greenpeace, BUND or Deutsche Umwelthilfe no longer have to disclose how they are financed.
The lobby register has been kept on the German Bundestag website since the beginning of 2022. It is intended to make visible who influences political decisions and legislation. Professional stakeholders must register there. They must provide information, for example, about their clients and subject areas as well as the human and financial costs of their lobbying activities in the Bundestag and the Federal Government. Lobbyists are obliged to adhere to a specified code of conduct. Violations can result in a fine of up to 50,000 euros.