The German Bundestag seems to be just as afflicted with lobbyists as is the U.S. Congress.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from the German-language service of the Epoch Times. The translator’s comments are in square brackets:

Bundestag: 38 lobbyists per MP — 28 MPs are themselves lobbyists

According to the lobby register, there are 38 lobbyists for every member of the Bundestag, and at least 28 of the 736 members of parliament are themselves acting in that capacity. But not all are registered. From the armaments industry to bioenergy: there are far more lobbyists in and out of the Bundestag than there are members of the Bundestag.

While 12,552 people represent their interests directly, the total number is a little more than twice as high. According to the lobby register, a total of 28,427 people are entitled to represent their interests in the Bundestag. (Status: 08/08/2022)

With 736 seats in parliament, that means 38.6 lobbyists per MP. The 4,999 entries include companies, associations, networks, platforms, but also individuals and others. Since March, they have been legally obliged to register in the lobby register.

Report: 28 MPs registered as lobbyists

As expected, Business is the most strongly represented in the areas of interest with 45.89 percent, followed by environmental lobbyists with 40.8 percent in second place. Several interests can be represented at the same time.

According to one report, 28 MPs are also listed as officials of lobby groups. The report also said that the deputies from the CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP and the Greens were involved in lobby groups for the armaments industry, the energy sector and one or other chamber of commerce.

On request, the Bundestag administration announced that only a proportionate expense allowance of “a maximum of 10 percent of the monthly MP compensation” was provided for voluntary interest groups. If there are indications of violations in individual cases, the Bundestag administration will investigate them.

According to Abgeordnetenwatch.de, the number of 28 registered lobbyists is “just the tip of the iceberg”. Other parliamentarians, both male and female, held “prominent positions in an organization, but the (organization’s) name does not appear in the lobby register”.

EU Commission demands stronger action

The EU Commission has also called on Germany to take stronger action against lobbyists influencing politics. [Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black.] The federal government must tighten the regulations against the so-called revolving door effect, according to the annual report presented in July. It is about the relocation of former politicians or civil servants into the economy.

The German legislature must also improve “the transparency of the approvals for the future employment of high-ranking Civil Servants and the duration of the waiting periods for federal ministers and parliamentary state secretaries”. Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD), for example, has been heavily criticized for his work for Russian energy companies.

According to the Commission, France must also take stronger action against lobbying. According to revelations, President Emmanuel Macron, as Minister of Economics, is said to have campaigned for the US service provider Uber. Neither Schröder nor Macron are mentioned by name in the commission report.

Lobby register with gaps

Not every organization is subject to registration under the Lobby Register Act. In response to a specific request from Bundestag Watch, the administration of the Bundestag received “an e-mail with many reasons and paragraphs as to why organizations do not have to register’”.

For the current exceptions from the lobby register for trade unions, employers’ associations and churches, there are only pretexts, says Hartmut Bäumer, chairman of Transparency Germany. He continues to complain about loopholes, and demands that it should also be recorded on which topic lobbying was carried out.

A reform of the lobby register is already planned, and there is an assurance in the traffic light coalition* agreement. When that will come is still unclear. However, the organization already fears that it will not be sharpened enough.

Afterword from the translator:

I’ve been saying for decades now that lobbying needs to be outlawed as high treason, and without it, I’m pretty sure, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in.