Federal Government Spent Over 130 Million Euros on External Lawyers and Advertising Agencies this Year Alone
According to the Federal Ministry of Justice’s breakdown, the German Federal Government has already spent over 130 million euros this year on external lawyers and advertising agencies. The “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ) reported this, citing the breakdown.
Over 37 million euros were spent on lawyers, legal consultations, expert opinions, and court costs. Almost 90 million euros were spent on “informing the public”, almost 30 million more than the previous year. The numbers cover the period from January 1 to November 24.
The alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht, founder of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), requested these numbers. The founder called the expenses “unacceptable”. It can’t be that the former government, which spent so much on employees, hires so many lawyers and experts, and still pays more than 37 million euros to law firms, Wagenknecht said to the NOZ. “A new federal government must stop this wasteful spending of tax money.”
The Health Ministry, led by Karl Lauterbach, tops the list of expenses for external lawyers, with around 24.6 million euros, of which approximately 7.1 million were spent on advertising and communication agencies.
The Economics Ministry, under the leadership of Robert Habeck, is at the top of the list of costs for public relations, with around 21.6 million euros, and external legal costs of approximately 4.7 million euros.
“It’s no surprise that Robert Habeck, in particular, stands unchallenged at the top of the list of spin doctors, but expensive PR won’t make the energy law, the decline of industry, or two years of recession more attractive,” Wagenknecht said. “Bad politics, even beautifully packaged, remains bad politics.”
The Federal Government responded to the BSW’s inquiry, citing its constitutional duty to inform the public about its activities, plans, and goals. This is not “advertising” in the classical sense, it emphasized. It’s not advertising a product or service, but rather informing the public about the policies of the Federal Government.