Former Chancellor Schröder has been heavily criticized for his work for Russian energy companies. In its annual constitutional “TÜV” the EU Commission demands that Germany must do more to counteract this type of lobbying in the future. In general, however, the assessment is positive.
The EU Commission has called on Germany to take stronger action against lobbyists influencing politics. The federal government must tighten the regulations against the so-called revolving door effect, according to the Commission’s annual report on the rule of law in the 27 member states. This means the change of former politicians or civil servants into the economy.
The German legislature must also improve “the transparency of approvals for the future employment of high-ranking civil servants and the length of waiting periods for federal ministers and parliamentary state secretaries,” says the report. In addition, efforts to make lobbying work on new laws more transparent must be continued. The plans, a legal basis for the right of the press to information from the federal authorities and the adjustment of the tax exemption for non-profit organizations, must be pushed ahead.
In Germany, Gerhard Schröder has been criticized for his work for Russian energy companies. The oral hearing in the SPD exclusion proceedings against Schröder will start on Thursday. The former chancellor is not named in the commission report.
According to the EU Commission, judges in Germany should also be better paid. With a view to the upcoming retirement of judges, the attractiveness of the profession is also important. Efforts to “provide adequate resources for the justice system” as part of the new “rule of law pact”, including the level of judges’ salaries, must be continued.
In principle, however, the EU Commission gives the rule of law in Germany good marks. The independence of the judiciary is still perceived as very high and Germany enjoys a high level of media freedom and diversity.
Since 2020, the EU Commission has published its so-called rule of law “TÜV” once a year. In it, she examines the state of the judicial system, the fight against corruption, as well as media freedom and diversity in the 27 EU countries. This year, for the first time, she also made recommendations on how the federal states can improve the situation. In contrast to Germany, the judgment of the EU Commission in countries such as Poland or Hungary is devastating. The authority reports concerns about the independence of the judiciary, sees media diversity at risk and considers the fight against corruption and lobbying to be insufficient.
