Thought Leadership

Lobbying in Germany

Germany; unlike some its neighbors such as France, Austria, Belgium, etc. has specific rules and regulations that govern lobbying activities in Germany. Lobbying takes place only in the Bundestag (Lower House).

Bundestag

The Bundestag is the only house of Parliament in the EU member states with specific rules put in place for lobbying activities. Annex 2 of the rules of procedure of the Bundestag states that all lobbying groups, interest groups and organizations in Germany who want to defend their interests before the Bundestag or the Federal Government have to be registered. Their names are entered in a register which is updated every year and then published in the federal gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt).

Lobbyists in Germany

There is a national registry of lobbyists in Germany but they are not heard by parliamentary committees. Also, until lobbyists are entered in the register they don’t receive passes admitting them to parliamentary buildings. Plus, in order to register they have to submit the following information:

·         Name and seat of the group

·         Composition of board of directors and board of management

·         Sphere of interest

·         Number of members

·         Names of appointed representatives

·         Address of group’s or association’s office at the seat of the Bundestag and of the Federal Government

The Lobbyists Register

The Register’s main goal is to specifically identify lobbyists and interest group that supply information to the Bundestag and its committees. Hence, lobbyists receive no special privileges such as an automatic right to be consulted at parliamentary hearings, nor do lobbyists receive a special status for being entered in the registry.

The Bundestag is granted significant freedom. That is, unilaterally, it can deny an entry pass of a lobbyist. Plus, the Bundestag and its committees have the right to invite experts and analysts outside of the registry to their meetings. Therefore, even if someone is not registered in the registry it does not prohibit him from establishing contact with Parliamentary Committees and Members.

The German system of regulating lobbying activities is a disciplined system. And they have chosen not to follow the exact path of their neighbours but at the same time they have implemented a system which is a mélange of the American and European system