Shortly before the registration deadline for the new lobby register, there is a real run. But the expectations were higher. The Greens want to start sharpening the rules quickly.
Companies, associations, organizations and networks are trying to influence the political decision-making processes in Berlin with millions of dollars and thousands of employees. This is shown by the entries in the Bundestag’s new lobby register.
The deadline for registering there expired on Tuesday night. There were almost 2400 entries. The number of employees who are now entitled to represent their interests under the rules of the register was around 16,000 at that time. When it comes to expenses, the General Association of the German Insurance Industry stands out. He stated that he spent around 15 million euros on advocacy in 2020.
Registrations continued on Tuesday. In the afternoon (3:00 p.m.), almost 2,500 companies, associations and other institutions with around 17,000 employees had registered and were now officially allowed to lobby.
Just a first step
According to the Greens in the Bundestag, the rules that apply to them should be tightened up quickly. “As Greens, we have always emphasized that the lobby register in its current form can only be a first step,” said Deputy Group Leader Konstantin von Notz of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “For good reason, we agreed in the coalition agreement on the further development of the transparency register.” According to the Greens, the parliamentary procedure should start soon.
The publicly accessible lobby register is intended to make visible who is influencing political decisions and legislation. Professional stakeholders were required to register no later than March 1st. Among other things, they had to provide information about their clients and the personnel and financial costs of their lobbying activities in the Bundestag and federal government. The area of interest and the activity also had to be explained. Lobbyists are now also obliged to adhere to a specified code of conduct. If they break the rules, they face a fine of up to 50,000 euros.
Below expectations
The number of entries fell far short of the expectations of the Bundestag administration. This had assumed that 6,000 to 8,000 stakeholders would register. “There were obviously misjudgments here,” said the Green politician von Notz. The reasons for this have to be investigated. “Nevertheless, we would not speak of a “toothless tiger.”
The entries range from the Baking Ingredients Association and the Federal Association of German Goat Breeders to large organizations such as the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) and the Dax companies. The expenses for lobbying activities are correspondingly different. For the Baking Ingredients Association, for example, this is 30,000 to 40,000 euros a year, and for the VCI around 8.2 million. At the VW Group it was around 6.5 million euros in 2021, with the VW subsidiaries Audi and Porsche spending another around 2.6 million and 1 million euros respectively.
Some information denied
The German Farmers’ Association is involved with around 5.7 million euros, the Association of Municipal Companies with almost 7.9 million. According to the CDU’s own information, the Economic Council also spent almost 4.8 million euros on lobbying. Some companies such as Robert Bosch GmbH or Roche Pharma AG refused to provide this information, which the law expressly allows. However, this has consequences: Such companies are not admitted to public hearings and cannot participate in legislative processes.
Critics complain that the register leaves in the dark what the lobbyists are doing with their sometimes immense sums of money. This should change with the sharpening planned by the traffic light parties, as explained by Notz. “Among other things, we want to expand the circle of registered interest representatives and lower the threshold for contacts to be specified in the ministries down to the level of the officer. Our goal remains the “legislative footprint.” Such a “footprint” means that under each law it is written which stakeholders have contributed to it.
Source: Stern
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