Following a recent increase in allowances for the leadership of the AfD parliamentary group within the Bundestag, Transparency Deutschland is calling for stricter regulations governing the use of public funds by all parliamentary factions.
Berthold Gries, Executive Director of Transparency Deutschland, emphasized the need for increased transparency across all factions, advocating for clear stipulations within the Bundestag’s procedural rules and implementing regulations. He stated that funds improperly used should be reclaimable and mechanisms for sanctions should be established.
Gries, formerly a senior civil servant in the Bundestag, raised concerns about the current lack of accountability in faction funding. “The income and expenditures of parliamentary groups are currently like a black hole. Factions receive funds and no one can trace in detail how they are spent”. He proposed clarifying responsibility for auditing faction financing, questioning whether the Bundestag Administration, responsible for disbursing funds, or the Federal Audit Court should assume this role.
Transparency Deutschland is urging the governing coalition factions to disclose the allowances paid to their parliamentary group leaders. “There is no justification for keeping the allowances for group leaders secret. They are funded by taxpayers and should be publicly disclosed”. Gries argued that the potential damage to democratic trust caused by secrecy outweighs any perceived benefit of withholding this information.
The recent, substantial increase in allowances within the AfD parliamentary group, occurring before the approval of the next federal budget, drew particular criticism. Gries suggested the timing appeared opportunistic, stating it created the impression the AfD group was attempting to secure a claim for greater funding.
Currently, the parliamentary groups of the CDU and SPD have not disclosed the allowances paid to their respective leaders. Transparency Deutschland criticized this lack of openness, suggesting it indicates a deficit in understanding the need for transparency within democratic processes in certain faction segments.