German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has assured that all parliamentary groups can hold their meetings in a suitable environment. In an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, Klöckner emphasized that every parliamentary group has the right to hold its meetings in a suitable space and that the Bundestag administration will ensure this.
The decision to relocate the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group to the former Free Democratic Party (FDP) space was made by the Elder’s Council, which has the authority to make such decisions in the absence of a consensus among the parliamentary groups. The AfD, with 151 members, had initially claimed the second-largest meeting room, currently used by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), for itself.
Klöckner also emphasized the rights of the AfD parliamentary group to participate in the committees, despite the group’s failure to secure the leadership of any of the committees. According to a constitutional court ruling, there is no right to a committee chair for any parliamentary group.
The Bundestag President emphasized the importance of ensuring the rights of all parliamentary groups to participate in the legislative process and to have their representatives in the committees in proportion to their size. She also stressed that the rules for speeches and speaking times are clear and will be respected.