Germany
German Bundestag
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Openness and transparency
Information about access to parliamentary documents, parliament’s reporting to the public, parliament’s relation to Freedom of Information laws, and lobbying.
Parliamentary documents
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The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance
The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance.
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All
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The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance
The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance.
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All
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Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site
Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site.
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All
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Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website
Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website.
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All
- Citizens can submit comments on draft legislation on the parliamentary web site
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No
Annual reporting by parliament
- Parliament publishes an annual report on its activities
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No
- The annual report is available on the parliamentary web site
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No information available
- Parliament publishes the parliamentary budget
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Yes
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Level of detail of the parliamentary budget made available to the public
Only the total amount; A summary of the main elements; The complete budget
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The complete budget
- The parliamentary budget is available on the parliamentary web site
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Yes
- Link to the parliamentary budget
Access to parliament
- Plenary meetings are open to the public
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Yes
Notes:
Prior registration is required for some of the visiting options offered by the Vistors' Service of the German Bundestag. This is to ensure that the limited number of available places are allocated as efficiently and fairly as possible. There is no interpretation service for plenary debates.
- Committee meetings are open to the public
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No
Notes:
As a rule, committee meetings are not open to the public but are restricted to Members of Parliament, the federal government, the Bundesrat, committee staff, government staff, and staff of political groups.
Committee meetings are only broadcast in case of a public meeting, e.g. expert hearings.
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There is a dedicated channel for broadcasting parliamentary meetings
A dedicated channel is one that is mainly about parliament, and is accessible free of charge to the general public. The channel might be owned by Parliament or a public or private company. Dedicated channels may be broadcast by parliament, government, or another broadcaster. They may be carried on television, radio or the Internet (webcasting).
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Yes
- Media used for the dedicated channel
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TVWebcast
- Meetings broadcast on the dedicated channel
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Plenary sittingsCommittee meetings
Freedom of information
- There is a freedom of information law in the country
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Yes
- Parliament is subject to the freedom of information law
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Yes
- Parliament has an office/division dedicated to FOI requests
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Yes
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Categories of Information that are exempt from disclosure
Certain categories of information may be exempt from disclosure
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The Freedom of Information Act applies to the Bundestag only insofar as it discharges administrative tasks under public law. Thus, documents related to the parliamentary area (e.g., surveys of the Research Service of the Bundestag on behalf of parliamentarians) are exempted ipso facto from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.
Lobbying
- There are rules about the activities of lobbyists in parliament
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Yes
Notes: Section 5 of Lobbying Register Act was passed by the German Bundestag on 25 March 2021 and came into effect on 1 January 2022. It provides for rules for the integrity in the representation of special interests vis-à-vis the Bundestag and the Federal Government. The Bundestag and the Federal Government, with the participation of civil society, also established a Code of Conduct for representatives of special interests in the framework of the Lobbying Register Act, which is accepted by all lobbyists enrolled in the lobbying register.
Sources: Act Introducing a Lobbying Register for the Representation of Special Interests vis-à- vis the German Bundestag and the Federal Government (Lobbying Register Act -- Lobbyregistergesetz)
- There is a register of accredited lobbyists
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Yes
- The register of accredited lobbyists is available on the parliamentary web site
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Yes