BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Banks, insurance companies, and their industry associations are spending millions of euros to influence legislation in the Bundestag with hundreds of lobbyists. According to an analysis by the citizens' movement Finanzwende, the top 10 companies and associations in the financial sector alone list 456 lobbyists by name in the Bundestag's lobby register. Together, they report annual lobbying expenditures of more than 37.5 million euros.
According to the register, no organization across all sectors spends more money on influencing politics than the umbrella association of insurers, the German Insurance Association (Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft). Based on current data, it spent almost 15.3 million euros in 2024. In second place is the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) with expenditures of 12.7 million euros, followed by the Association of the Automotive Industry (Verband der Automobilindustrie) with 9.9 million euros.
Finanzwende: "Constant Overwhelming Presence"
Finanzwende sees a clear imbalance between the financial lobby and civil society interest groups. "Lobbying itself is not disreputable; the problem is the constant overwhelming presence," explained association board member Daniel Mittler. There is a risk that civil society will hardly be heard, "because the other side floods all channels with calls, statements, and often questionable studies." It is absolutely clear that civil society organizations cannot match such efforts.
The citizens' movement Finanzwende is also registered in the Bundestag's lobby register. According to the register, the non-governmental organization, with a budget between 130,000 and 140,000 euros and 19 representatives, submitted statements on nine political initiatives.
However, according to the analysis, a higher lobbying budget does not automatically translate into more success in influencing politics. One example is the debate over the sale of residual debt insurance after a loan agreement is concluded. Here, banks and insurers did not prevail, even though, according to the lobby register, 25 companies, associations, and agencies campaigned to abolish the mandatory waiting period.
Lobby Register with More Than 6,000 Entries
The lobby register has been maintained on the website of the German Bundestag since 2022. Its purpose is to make visible who is influencing political decisions and legislation. Professional interest representatives are required to register and provide information about their clients as well as the personnel and financial resources devoted to their lobbying activities in the Bundestag and the federal government. When officeholders and mandate holders move to the ranks of lobbyists, they must disclose their current and previous offices and mandates. Currently, there are 6,270 entries from companies, associations, organizations, networks, individuals, and other interest representatives./tam/DP/zb
