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The Bundestag and the federal government will soon have a lobby register.
But what's in it?
Photo: fhm / Getty Images
The coalition factions have introduced a law for a lobby register. Now the Bundestag is negotiating the details. Roman Ebener from Abussywatch.de does not go far enough, it calls for as much transparency as possible. Union parliamentary group manager Patrick Schnieder (CDU), on the other hand, warns: "Democracy needs a protected space."
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Schnieder, following the lobbying affair surrounding your parliamentary group colleague Philipp Amthor, the Union took the necessary steps and launched a mandatory lobby register with its coalition partner, the SPD.
Why now?
Schnieder:
The Amthor case is not a lobby affair.
SPIEGEL:
Not?
He had tried to open doors in the federal government for the US company Augustus Intelligence.
He later received a director post and stock options there.
Schnieder:
The Amthor case concerns the rules of conduct for members of parliament.
Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble has established that Philipp Amthor adhered to these rules.
So on this basis he cannot be blamed.
Whether Mr Amthor acted wisely politically is another question.
Independently of this, we want to regulate the professional representation of interests with our bill for a lobby register.
We are creating significantly more transparency.
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