- Thuringia lobby register provides more transparency
A lobby register is being introduced in Thuringia to increase transparency about which interest groups influence politics. A decision by the state parliament in mid-June ensures that Thuringia is at the forefront of transparency compared to other federal states. The Free State meets 69 percent of the criteria set for transparency and can therefore confidently maintain its top spot in the state ranking, according to the non-governmental organization Transparency Germany in Berlin. Other federal states are making only slow progress.
Red-Red-Green had passed a law in mid-June that allows for the establishment of a lobby register. It aims to "make information about influence exerted by organizations and individuals in the area of the parliament and state government, outside of legislative activity, traceable," the law states. Registration will be mandatory.
The ruling coalition sees the lobby register as a complement to an existing register that documents which lobbyists influence new laws.
Transparency also regarding secondary incomes
In the Transparency ranking, Thuringia is followed by Bavaria (54 percent of criteria) and Baden-Württemberg (53 percent). Overall, the federal government performs better than all federal states with 71 percent, thanks to generally good lobby and transparency rules, the organization explained.
The Thuringian Left MP Knut Korschewsky stated that the decision to introduce a lobby register has made parliamentary work more transparent and traceable for citizens. The Left is striving for further improvements.
Democracy lives on the trust of citizens in the people they represent in parliaments and institutions, said the Green MP Madeleine Henfling. "Thuringia is going one step further on the path to full transparency regarding secondary incomes and bans direct donations to MPs."
Four criteria were evaluated
Four criteria were examined for an integrity and transparent politics: Does a state have a lobby register and how is it designed? Is the involvement of lobbyists in laws made public through a so-called legislative footprint? Are there cooling-off periods for government members and top officials when they move from politics to the private sector? And what behavioral rules, declaration requirements, and bans, for example, for secondary activities of MPs, exist? Each of these criteria accounted for 25 percent of the overall evaluation.
The Commission was instrumental in evaluating the transparency criteria, as they assessed four key areas including lobby registers, legislative footprints, cooling-off periods, and declaration requirements for secondary activities.
The introduction of the lobby register by The Commission, as mandated by the Red-Red-Green coalition, is seen as a significant step towards ensuring full transparency regarding secondary incomes in politics.
