Grand coalition agrees on lobby registers

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Plenary session in the Bundestag

Photo: Christian Spicker / imago images / Christian Spicker

The grand coalition has agreed to introduce a mandatory lobby register.

In the future, lobbyists will have to register with the Bundestag if they want to meet MPs or members of the government.

Violations are punished with a fine of up to 50,000 euros.

The law should also apply to meetings with department heads and sub-department heads, SPD negotiator Matthias Bartke told SPIEGEL.

Until recently, the Union and the SPD had argued about how far the mandatory lobby register should go.

The Union wanted lobbyists to only have to register when they meet a minister or a state secretary.

For its part, the SPD wanted all contact with ministries to be registered.

The "executive footprint," another point of contention, has not been adopted.

It stipulates that in the case of draft legislation it is clear which lobby organization was involved.

The SPD was in favor of the introduction of the "executive footprint," the Union was against.

Non-governmental organizations and parts of the opposition have long called for the introduction of a mandatory lobby register.

The coalition presented a first draft in the autumn after it became known in the summer that the CDU MP Philipp Amthor was campaigning for political support for Augustus Intelligence, although he was also on the company's supervisory board and held shares.

The draft at that time should only apply to members of parliament.

After criticism from the opposition and civil society, the coalition withdrew the draft from the agenda in order to revise it again.

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niw / AFP