Bundestag to get stricter rules of etiquette
In the past year, the Bundestag presidium issued more orders for discipline than in the entire previous legislative period. The parliament intends to take a stricter approach in the future. Anyone who repeatedly offends will have to pay an orderly conduct fine as a result. At the same time, the opposition is to receive more rights.
If a parliamentarian insults other deputies personally in the plenary session or disrupts the committee, they will be subject to stronger sanctions in the future. This is what a draft resolution proposed by Ampel coalition politicians states, which the SPD, Greens, and FDP factions will put to a vote today. In this resolution, it is recorded that in the future, an orderly conduct fine should automatically be imposed if a parliamentarian receives three reprimands within three session weeks.
Until now, this has been a matter of discretion. The rules of procedure state only: "The president of the Bundestag may, even without an order being given, impose a fine of up to 1,000 euros on a member of the Bundestag for a minor breach of order or the dignity of the Bundestag." The amount of the orderly conduct fine is to be doubled - to 2,000 euros in the first instance and 4,000 euros in the case of a repeat offense.
The Bundestag presidium issued 51 orders for order in the past year to address verbal outbursts and other violations. This was more than in the entire previous legislative period from 2017 to 2021, during which, according to a review by the German Bundestag, 49 orders for order were issued. Before 2017, when the AfD entered parliament, there were only one or two orders for order per legislative period.
Extension of opposition rights
According to coalition sources, the draft resolution will be discussed in the first reading on Wednesday. Coalition representatives have reported to the German Press Agency that they could not agree on a joint resolution with the Union faction but remain committed to this goal.
"We also want to expand the rights of opposition factions: Public hearings requested by them must be dealt with within ten session weeks in the future," says Filiz Polat of the Greens. Until now, there have been no time limits for this. In the draft resolution, it is also proposed to add the following sentence to the rules of procedure: "Any insulting or discriminatory, particularly racist or sexist statements or behavior towards another member or third parties should be avoided."
The powers of the committee chairpersons are also to be expanded. According to the proposal, the chair should receive formal disciplinary authority over members. In case of serious disruptions, the chair, with the approval of a qualified majority, can exclude the disrupter from further deliberations.
The rules of procedure of the Bundestag date back to the 1980s, says SPD deputy Johannes Fechner. A fundamental modernization is necessary. It is also about enabling livelier debates, emphasizes Stephan Thomae of the FDP. For example, questions and interjections during plenary sessions should now be allowed during live broadcasts.
- Bärbel Bas, as the president of the German Bundestag, will oversee the implementation of stricter conduct rules for parliamentarians, following the proposal from the Ampel coalition.
- The Traffic light coalition, comprising the SPD, Greens, and FDP, aims to expand the rights of opposition factions, including ensuring public hearings are addressed within ten session weeks.3.Filiz Polat of Alliance 90/The Greens advocates for a commitment to avoiding racist or sexist statements or behavior towards fellow members and third parties, as part of the proposed modernization of the Bundestag's rules of procedure.
- The FDP, represented by Stephan Thomae, emphasizes the need for enabling livelier debates in the Bundestag, suggesting allowing questions and interjections during plenary sessions during live broadcasts, as part of the proposed rule updates.
