Higher penalties for bribery, prohibition of accepting funds: after the Bundestag, the Bundesrat has now also approved the stricter transparency rules.
The Federal Council has approved the stricter transparency rules for members of the Bundestag. Parliament had thus drawn the consequences of the so-called mask affair.
The joint draft law by the CDU / CSU, SPD, the Greens and the Left, which was passed by the Bundestag in June, provides for higher penalties for bribery, it prohibits the acceptance of funds and expands the obligations to disclose additional income.
With the reform, the penalties for MPs who allow themselves to be bribed and vice versa for people who bribe MPs will be significantly increased in the Criminal Code. In future, this will be punished with a prison sentence of at least one year and up to ten years. So far, such cases threatened a prison sentence of a maximum of five years or a fine.
The law also stipulates that members of parliament have to report additional income of EUR 1,000 or more per month or EUR 3,000 per year to the President of the Bundestag. So far there was an annual limit of 10,000 euros. If MPs hold shares in corporations or partnerships, they must now display and publish these from 5 percent. So far it has been 25 percent. Income from such participations as dividends must be disclosed as well as stock options.
Lobbying activities by members of the Bundestag vis-à-vis the federal government or the Bundestag are also prohibited. Members of parliament are also no longer allowed to accept fees for lectures in connection with parliamentary work. Expense reimbursements for voluntary work, for example in associations, remain permitted.
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