The Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Center 

(202) 707-6462 (phone) • (866) 550-0442 (fax) • law@loc.gov • http://www.law.gov

Lobbying Disclosure Laws

France • Germany • United Kingdom

March 2017
This report is provided for reference purposes only. 

It does not constitute legal advice and does not represent the official 

opinion of the United States Government. The information provided 

reflects research undertaken as of the date of writing. 

It has not been updated.
Contents 

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 

France ...............................................................................................................................................2 

Germany ...........................................................................................................................................4 

United Kingdom.............................................................................................................................11 
The Law Library of Congress 1

Introduction 

This report, prepared by the staff of the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of 

Congress, surveys laws governing registration of lobbyists in France, Germany, and the United 

Kingdom. 

Current French law does not require lobbyists to register, but France recently enacted a law 

requiring registration that will go into effect on July 1, 2017. It will require lobbyists to provide 

information that will become publicly available, including the identity of organizations with 

interests related to the registrant’s representation. 

The UK enacted a lobbying registration law in 2014 that requires lobbyists whose annual 

lobbying business reaches a certain threshold to disclose specified information. The information 

provided is made available in a public register. Among the information that must be disclosed is 

the identity of lobbyists’ clients. 

Germany does not have a mandatory register for lobbyists at the federal level, although it does 

have a voluntary register. (One state, Saxony-Anhalt, has a mandatory register for lobbyists at 

the state parliament.) There have been initiatives supporting a mandatory register at the federal 

level, and the Social Democratic Party has submitted draft legislation to establish one. 
The Law Library of Congress 2 

France 

Nicolas Boring 

Foreign Law Specialist

I. New French Transparency Law 

France recently adopted a mandatory registration scheme for lobbyists. This registry is created 

by Law No. 2016-1691 of December 9, 2016, Regarding Transparency, the Fight against 

Corruption, and Modernization of Economic Life,1

 colloquially known as the Second Sapin Law, 

after the bill’s primary sponsor, Finance Minister Michel Sapin.2

The Second Sapin Law establishes an electronic registry to “ensure the information of citizens on 

the relationships between representatives of [special] interests and public authorities.”3

 This 

registry, which will be publicly accessible, will aim to show the identity of individuals and 

organization regularly engaged in lobbying activity.4

 The law requires public or private 

organizations engaged an industrial or commercial activity, and chambers of commerce, 

chambers of industry, and chambers of trades and craft (“chambres de métiers et de l’artisanat”) 

to register if the principal or regular activity of at least one executive, employee, or member is to 

influence the decision of a government body, especially the content of a law or regulatory act, 

through communications with legislators, cabinet members, legislative or cabinet staff and 

advisors, or other government officials.5

 Individuals who, though not employees of the 

organizations mentioned above, nevertheless exercise lobbying activities on their behalf, will 

also have to register, and will have to disclose the identity of the people or organizations whose 

interests they are representing.6

Registrants will be required to disclose their identity (or, in the case of corporations or other 

organizations, the identities of their leadership, and of any employee or member in charge of 

 

1

 Available online at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000033558528 

&categorieLien=id (archived at https://perma.cc/9N47-2FTG). 

2

 Loi 2016-1691 du 9 décembre 2016 relative à la transparence, à la lutte contre la corruption et à la modernisation 

de la vie économique [Law 2016-1691 of Dec. 9, 2016 Regarding Transparency, the Fight Against Corruption, and 

Modernization of Economic Life], VIE-PUBLIQUE.FR (French government website) (Dec. 12, 2016), http://www.viepublique.fr/actualite/panorama/texte-discussion/projet-loi-relatif-transparence-lutte-contre-corruptionmodernisation-vie-economique.html (archived at https://perma.cc/D8HA-NMLD); Maria Knapp, Will the Sapin II 

Anti-Corruption Law Shepherd France Into a New Era of Transparency ?, FORBES (Dec. 14, 2016), 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/riskmap/2016/12/14/will-the-sapin-ii-anti-corruption-law-shepherd-france-into-a-newera-of-transparency/#7e97531248f0, archived at https://perma.cc/E4ZW-QF4W. 

3

 Law 2016-1691 of Dec. 9, 2016, art. 25 (amending Loi n° 2013-907 du 11 octobre 2013 relative à la transparence 

de la vie publique [Law No. 2013-907 of Oct. 11, 2013 Regarding Transparency in Public Life], 

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028056315&dateTexte=20170327,

archived at https://perma.cc/57NR-KEV7.). 

4

 Law 2016-1691 of Dec. 9, 2016, art. 25. 

5 Id. 

6 Id. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: France 

The Law Library of Congress 3 

lobbying activities); the scope of their lobbying activities; how many people they employ for 

lobbying activities; how much money was spent on lobbying activities during the preceding year; 

and any professional organization, union, or nongovernmental organization that has interests 

related to the interests represented by the registrant.7

 Failure to disclose the required information 

can potentially lead to criminal charges and is punishable by up to one year of jail and a fine of 

€15,000 (about US$16,190).8

The law generally excepts certain parties from the lobbying registration requirements, including 

elected officials acting within their official capacity, political parties acting within their 

constitutional roles, labor unions, and religious organizations.9

The provisions regarding the lobbyist registry will come into force on July 1, 2017.10 The 

registry will be kept and managed by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life.11

II. Current Law 

The Second Sapin Law was adopted to rectify what was seen as very inadequate regulation of 

lobbying activities.12 The current rules, which remain in place until the registry is implemented 

on July 1, 2017, do not provide for any mandatory lobbyist registration scheme. The two 

chambers of Parliament, the Senate and the National Assembly, each have a voluntary registry.13 

The main incentive for registering with the parliamentary registries appears to be that it provides 

the registrant with a special badge giving him/her access to parts of the Senate and/or the 

National Assembly that he/she would otherwise not be allowed into.14 Few lobbyists appear to 

be registered under the current rules.15

 

7 Id. 

8 Id. 

9 Id. 

10 Id. 

11 The website of the Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique [High Authority for Transparency in 

Public Life] may be accessed at http://www.hatvp.fr/la-haute-autorite/#r-1, archived at https://perma.cc/V3J5-JUDF. 

12 Etude d’impact, Projet de loi relatif à la transparence, à la lutte contre la corruption et à la modernisation de la 

vie économique [Impact Study, Bill Regarding Transparency, the Fight Against Corruption, and the Modernization 

of Economic Life], NOR : FCPM1605542L/Bleue-1, 44 (Mar. 30, 2016), https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/content/ 

download/9989/117721/version/1/file/ei_transparence_corruption_modernisation_vie_economique_cm_30.03.2016.

pdf, archived at https://perma.cc/C39W-DZ48. 

13 Règlement du Sénat et Instruction générale du Bureau [Rules of the Senate and General Instructions of the 

Bureau] (Mar. 2, 2017), https://www.senat.fr/reglement/reglement_mono.html,archived at https://perma.cc/E52AKGJC, Art. XXII bis; Règlement de l’Assemblée nationale [Rules of the National Assembly] art. 80-5 (Jan. 2015), 

http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/connaissance/reglement_2015_01.pdf, archived at https://perma.cc/57RT-ZEZL. 

14 Etude d’impact, supra note 12, at 46–48. 

15 Id. at 48. 
The Law Library of Congress 4

Germany 

Jenny Gesley 

Foreign Law Specialist

SUMMARY Germany does not have any laws similar to the US Lobbying Disclosure Act or the 

Foreign Agents Registration Act. The German parliament keeps a voluntary register for 

associations that lobby the German parliament and the federal government. The state of 

Saxony-Anhalt has a mandatory lobby register for associations that lobby the state 

parliament. There are several ongoing initiatives to set up a mandatory lobby register. 

Lobbyists can also apply to the parliamentary groups of the political parties to receive 

access passes to the nonpublic areas of the parliament that are valid for a year. The names 

of the access pass holders and the parties that granted them are subject to publication if 

requested under the German Freedom of Information Act, following a successful lawsuit 

by a German newspaper. 

Political parties may generally accept donations without a limit. They must be declared in 

the annual general statement of accounts, separately listing any single-source donation 

exceeding €10,000 (about US$10,866) in a calendar year to include the name and address 

of the donor. Donations exceeding €50,000 (about US$53,633) must be reported 

immediately to the President of the German Bundestag, who will publish the amount as 

well as the name and address of the donor in parliamentary report. Donations from foreign 

sources or persons who clearly donate in expectation of or in return for a certain 

commercial or legal advantage are generally prohibited. A recent lawsuit from a nonprofit 

organization obligated the German parliament to also release internal documents in 

connection with donations listed in the annual statement of accounts. 

I. Lobby Register 

A. Federal Level 

Germany does not have any laws similar to the US Lobbying Disclosure Act or the Foreign 

Agents Registration Act. The German Bundestag (parliament) keeps a voluntary register for 

associations that lobby the German parliament and the federal government.1

 This register is 

published yearly in the Federal Gazette.2

 The official version (amtliche Fassung) as well as a 

1

 Registrierung von Verbänden und deren Vertreter (Anlage 2 der Geschäftsordnung des Deutschen Bundestages) 

[BTGO1980Anl2] [Registration of Associations and their Representatives (Annex 2 to the Rules of Procedure of the 

German Parliament)], June 25, 1980, BUNDESGESETZBLATT [BGBL.] [FEDERAL LAW GAZETTE] I at 1237, 1256, as 

amended, http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/btgo1980anl_2/gesamt.pdf, archived at 

http://perma.cc/VC94-JXL4. 

2 Id. at para. 5. The latest official version of the register dates from May 2, 2016. Deutscher Bundestag [German 

Parliament], Bekanntmachung der öffentlichen Liste über die Registrierung von Verbänden und deren Vertretern 

[Publication of the Public List of Registered Associations and their Representatives], May 2, 2016, 

BUNDESANZEIGER AMTLICHER TEIL [BANZ AT] [FEDERAL GAZETTE OFFICIAL PART], May 19, 2016, B1, 

https://www.bundestag.de/blob/189456/00aab1db13ea7fda086a19ad3641d4fa/lobbylisteamtlich-data.pdf, archived 

at http://perma.cc/M4WF-67VE. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 5

more current version (aktuelle Fassung), which is updated more regularly, can also be accessed 

on the website of the German parliament.3

B. State Level 

In 2014, the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt amended the rules of procedure to require all 

lobbyists from associations that lobby the state parliament to register.4 Representatives from 

associations that are not included in the mandatory lobby register will not be heard in parliament. 

However, representatives of associations on the register do not have an enforceable legal right to 

be heard.5

 The list is published online on the state parliament website.6

II. Access to Parliamentary Premises for Lobbyists 

A. Access for Associations on the Voluntary Register 

Associations that are on the German parliament’s voluntary public list may also apply for a pass 

(Hausausweis) that allows them to access the nonpublic parts of the parliamentary premises at 

any time.7

 The pass is valid for a year.8 However, being on the register is no guarantee that a 

pass will be issued.9

 

B. Access Pass from Political Parties 

All lobbyists, including those not part of associations, may obtain an access pass by applying 

directly to the parliamentary groups of the individual political parties represented in the German 

parliament.10 The law does not require the parties to publish the names of lobbyists that receive 

a pass that way. However, the German nonpartisan group Parliament Watch 

(Abgeordnetenwatch) that operates an independent Internet platform to promote parliamentary 

 

3

 Deutscher Bundestag [German Parliament], Öffentliche Liste über die beim Bundestag registrierten Verbände 

[Public List of Associations that are Registered with the Parliament], https://www.bundestag.de/ 

parlament/lobbyliste, archived at http://perma.cc/V3WK-L52Y. 

4

 Geschäftsordnung des Landtages von Sachsen-Anhalt [Rules of Procedure of the State Parliament of SaxonyAnhalt], Apr. 12, 2016, Drucksache 7/36 [Parliamentary Documentation 7/36], as amended, § 86b, in conjunction 

with the annex, http://www.landtag.sachsen-anhalt.de/fileadmin/files/drs/wp7/drs/d0036vun.pdf, archived at

http://perma.cc/H85W-VCMJ. 

5 Id. annex, § 2. 

6 Id. annex, § 3. Landtag Sachsen-Anhalt [State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt], Lobbyregister Gemäß § 86b GO.LT 

[Lobby Register according to § 86b of the Rules of Procedure of the State Parliament], Stand: 21. März 2017 

[Current as of Mar. 21, 2017], http://www.landtag.sachsen-anhalt.de/fileadmin/Downloads/Lobbyregister/ 

Lobbyregister_Landtag_von_Sachsen-Anhalt_2017_03_21.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/2ZJX-JRHS. 

7

 Annex 2 to the Rules of Procedure of the German Parliament, para. 3; Hausordnung des Deutschen Bundestages 

[BTHausO 2002] [House Rules of the German Parliament], Aug. 7, 2002, BGBL. I at 3483, as amended, § 2, 

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/bthauso_2002/gesamt.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/2AJP-TEGH. 

8

 House Rules of the German Parliament, § 2, para. 7, no. 1. 

9

 Annex 2 to the Rules of Procedure of the German Parliament, para. 4. 

10 House Rules of the German Parliament, § 2, para. 4. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 6

transparency,11 submitted a Freedom of Information Act12 request to the individual parties to 

publish their lists. While the Green Party and the Left Party complied with the request,13

followed eventually by the Social Democratic Party,14 the Christian Democratic Union party 

refused. In June 2015, Parliament Watch therefore filed an action for performance in the 

Administrative Court in Berlin to compel the German parliament to make public the names of all 

lobbyists with access passes.15 In addition, in September 2015, German newspaper Der 

Tagesspiegel requested a preliminary injunction from the Administrative Court in Berlin to 

compel the release of information about the number of access passes and the parties that issued 

them.16 Both the action for performance and the preliminary injunction were granted and the 

court obligated the German parliament to make the names public. 

The German parliament appealed the preliminary injunction in the newspaper case. The Higher 

Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg confirmed the order of the lower court and held that 

neither the “right to informational self-determination”17 of the lobbyists nor the constitutionally 

 

11 Their website can be accessed at http://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/ (last visited Mar. 23, 2017). 

12 Gesetz zur Regelung des Zugangs zu Informationen des Bundes (Informationsfreiheitsgesetz - IFG) 

[Federal Act Governing Access to Information held by the Federal Government (Freedom of Information Act)], 

Sept. 5, 2005, BGBL. I at 2722, as amended, http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/ifg/gesamt.pdf, 

archived at http://perma.cc/AE48-RK9U, unofficial English translation available at http://www.gesetze-iminternet.de/englisch_ifg/englisch_ifg.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/2NBL-F7VZ. 

13 Michael Grosse-Brömer et al., GroKo schweigt zu Lobbykontakten (Update) [Grand Coalition Remains Silent 

with Regards to Lobbyists (Update)] (June 19, 2014), https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/blog/2014-06-

19/fraktionen-schweigen-zu-lobbykontakten#lobbykontakte, archived at http://perma.cc/23YU-4FQK. 

14 SPD, Befürwortete Hausausweise 2014 [Approved Access Passes 2014], available at https://www. 

abgeordnetenwatch.de/sites/abgeordnetenwatch.de/files/spd_2014.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/TL5K-WTML; 

SPD, Befürwortete Hausausweise 2015 [Approved Access Passes 2015], available at https://www. 

abgeordnetenwatch.de/sites/abgeordnetenwatch.de/files/spd_2015.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/33ZV-6HBL. 

15 Verwaltungsgericht Berlin [VG Berlin] [Administrative Court Berlin], June 18, 2015, 2 K 176.14, 

http://www.gerichtsentscheidungen.berlin-brandenburg.de/jportal/portal/t/1ijl/bs/10/page/sammlung. 

psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&showdoccase=1&js_peid=Trefferliste&documentnumber=13&numberofresults=35&f

romdoctodoc=yes&doc.id=JURE150011694&doc.part=L&doc.price=0.0&doc.hl=1#focuspoint, archived at

http://perma.cc/U4MM-6X5E. 

16 Verwaltungsgericht Berlin [VG Berlin] [Administrative Court Berlin], Sept. 28, 2015, 27 L 126.15, 

http://www.gerichtsentscheidungen.berlin-brandenburg.de/jportal/portal/t/279b/bs/10/page/sammlung. 

psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&showdoccase=1&js_peid=Trefferliste&documentnumber=1&numberofresults=1&fro

mdoctodoc=yes&doc.id=JURE150015155&doc.part=L&doc.price=0.0#focuspoint, archived at 

http://perma.cc/Z862-C6RE. 

17 GRUNDGESETZ FÜR DIE BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND [GRUNDGESETZ] [GG] [BASIC LAW], May 23, 1949, 

BUNDESGESETZBLATT [BGBL.] I at 1, art. 2, para. 1 in conjunction with art. 1, para. 1, http://www.gesetze-iminternet.de/bundesrecht/gg/gesamt.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/298A-G79X, unofficial English translation at

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/basic_law_for_the_federal_republic_of_germany.pdf, archived at 

http://perma.cc/9JE7-RP4D. The “right to informational self-determination” has been defined by the German 

Federal Constitutional Court as the right of a person to decide whether to reveal personal data and how it will be 

used. See BUNDESVERFASSUNGSGERICHT [BVERFG] [FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT], 65 ENTSCHEIDUNGEN 

DES BUNDESVERFASSUNGSGERICHTS [BVERFGE] [DECISIONS OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT] at 1, 43. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 7

guaranteed “free mandate”18 of the parliamentarians precluded the applicant’s right to 

information.19 Der Tagesspiegel subsequently published the list on their website.20

As a consequence of the court cases, the parliament’s Council of Elders21 decided that the 

parliamentary groups of the political parties would no longer be allowed to give out access 

passes to lobbyists other than to associations listed on the voluntary register. In addition, the 

number of access passes granted per association would be limited to two instead of five. Other 

lobbyists may only apply for day access passes.22

III. Initiatives to Set Up a Mandatory Lobby Register 

The nonprofit Parliament Watch has started two initiatives to set up a mandatory lobby register. 

On March 8, 2017, the group submitted a petition with about 180,000 signatures to the petition 

committee of the German parliament for discussion.23 Parliamentary procedure generally 

dictates that petitions for the adoption of legislation submitted by any person to the petition 

committee require only 50,000 or more valid signatures when submitted, or must collect that 

amount of signatures within four weeks of their submission, in order to be debated in the 

committee and for the requester to be heard.24 After the debate, the petition committee will 

 

18 BASIC LAW, art. 38, para. 1, sentence 1. 

19 Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg [OVG Berlin-Brandenburg] [Higher Administrative Court BerlinBrandenburg], Nov. 20, 2015, 6 S 45.15, http://www.gerichtsentscheidungen.berlinbrandenburg.de/jportal/portal/t/279b/bs/10/page/sammlung.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&showdoccase=1&js_peid=

Trefferliste&documentnumber=1&numberofresults=1&fromdoctodoc=yes&doc.id=MWRE150003300&doc.part=L

&doc.price=0.0#focuspoint, archived at http://perma.cc/5HQM-25CY. 

20 Gesamtliste der Interessenvertreter, die pro Kalenderjahr Zugang per befürwortetem Bundestagsausweis 

hatten/haben [Complete List of Lobbyists that Had/Have an Parliamentary Access Pass in a Calendar Year], Beginn 

18. WP bis 20. November 2015 [Start of the 18th Parliamentary Term until November 20, 2015], 

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/downloads/12651316/3/gesamtliste-pgf_18-wp-20-11-15.pdf, archived at

http://perma.cc/7KN3-KWBX. 

21 The Council of Elders is composed of the President of the German parliament, the Vice Presidents, and twentythree other members from the political parties according to the number of seats they have in parliament. The Council 

of Elders assists the President of the German Bundestag in his or her work. See Geschäftsordnung des Deutschen 

Bundestages [BTGO] [Rules of Procedure of the German Parliament], June 25, 1980, BGBL. I at 1237, as amended, 

§ 6, http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/btgo_1980/gesamt.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/2A73-LP93. 

22 Jost Müller-Neuhof & Antje Sirleschtov, Ab heute keine Hausausweise für Firmenlobbyisten mehr [Starting 

Today, No More Access Passes for Lobbyists] (Feb. 29, 2016), http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/bundestag-abheute-keine-hausausweise-fuer-firmenlobbyisten-mehr/13033656.html, archived at http://perma.cc/ZN5X-ZK52; 

Deutscher Bundestag, Zentrale Ausweisstelle [German parliament. Central ID Office], Merkblatt zum geänderten 

Antragsverfahren auf Erteilung von Bundestagsausweisen an Mitarbeiter von Verbänden und deren 

Interessenvertreter [Explanatory Leaflet on the Amended Prcodedure for Granting Parliamentary Access Passes to 

Employees from Associations and their Representatives] (Feb. 18, 2017), https://www.bundestag.de/blob/ 

409838/b1b7767b2ec708e4f26b55870329a71c/merkblatt-data.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/2XMN-9BKC. 

23 180.000 Unterschriften für ein Lobbyregister übergeben! [180,000 Signatures for a Lobby Register Handed 

Over!], ABGEORDNETENWATCH.DE (Mar. 8, 2017), https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/blog/2017-03-08/180000-

unterschriften-fur-ein-lobbyregister-ubergeben, archived at http://perma.cc/L7M7-CB97. 

24 BASIC LAW, arts. 17, 45c; Gesetz über die Befugnisse des Petitionsausschusses des Deutschen Bundestages 

(Gesetz nach Artikel 45c des Grundgesetzes) [GGArt45cG] [Act on the Powers of the Petition Committee of the 

German Parliament (Act According to article 45c of the Basic Law)], July 19, 1975, BGBL. I at 1921, 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 8

submit its recommendation to the German parliament, which will then debate the issue and 

forward its recommendation to the federal government.25 

Furthermore, Parliament Watch, in collaboration with the group Lobby Control and a German 

law firm, drafted a federal lobbying law that would require registration of all lobbyists.26 A 

revised draft act was published online in February 2017 after public comments had been 

incorporated and was submitted to the political parties in parliament for consideration.27 

In addition, the Social Democratic Party has submitted its own draft law that, if enacted, would 

set up a mandatory lobby register, require that future draft laws list the experts and lobbyists that 

participated in the drafting process (“executive footprint”), and mandate political parties to 

identify lobbyist sponsoring in excess of €10,000 (about US$10,866) in the annual statement 

of accounts.28

IV. Donations to Political Parties

A. General Information 

Section 25, paragraph 1 of the Political Parties Act29 provides that a political party may generally 

accept donations without a limit. A donation is defined as any revenue that the political party 

receives in excess of recurring membership fees and additional recurring payments by party 

members beyond their membership fees.30 

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/ggart45cg/gesamt.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/Y5KZ-D3XP; 

Rules of Procedure of the German Parliament, § 110; Grundsätze des Petitionsausschusses über die Behandlung von 

Bitten und Beschwerden (Verfahrensgrundsätze) [Rules of the Petition Committee on Handling Requests and 

Complaints (Procedural Rules)], Mar. 8, 1989 (current as of Jan. 15, 2014), paras. 8.2.1., 8.4(4), 

http://www.bundestag.de/verfahrensgrundsaetze#url=L2F1c3NjaHVlc3NlMTgvYTAyL2dydW5kc2FldHplL3Zlcm

ZhaHJlbnNncnVuZHNhZXR6ZS8yNjA1NjQ=&mod=mod472954, archived at http://perma.cc/JFE7-N64S. 

25 Rules of Procedure of the German Parliament, §112, para. 1; Rules of the Petition Committee on Handling 

Requests and Complaints (Procedural Rules), paras. 8.6(1), 9.2. 

26 Lobby-Transparenzgesetz [Lobby Transparency Act], https://lobbyregister.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017_01_27_Lobby_Transparenzgesetz.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/Q9P7-U2WA. 

27 180.000 Unterschriften für ein Lobbyregister übergeben!, supra note 23.

28 Id.; Gesetzentwurf der Abgeordneten Thomas Oppermann, Dr. Eva Högl und der Fraktion der SPD. Entwurf eines 

Gesetzes über die Vertretung von Interessen gegenüber dem Deutschen Bundestag und den Bundesbehörden 

(IntVertG) und zur Änderung des Parteiengesetzes und anderer Gesetze [Draft Act of the Parliamentarians Thomas 

Oppermann, Dr. Eva Högl, and the Parliamentary Group of the SPD Party. Draft Act on Interest Lobbying at the 

German Parliament and in Federal Agencies and to Amend the Act on Political Parties and Other Acts], Feb. 20, 

2017, https://www.zdf.de/assets/spd-gesetzentwurf-schaerfere-regeln-fuer-lobbyisten-100~original?cb 

=1490627949479, archived at http://perma.cc/QA9B-XKSR. 

29 Gesetz über die politischen Parteien (Parteiengesetz) [PartG] [Political Parties Act], in the version promulgated on 

Jan. 31, 1994, BGBL. I at 149, http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/partg/gesamt.pdf, archived at

http://perma.cc/5TTB-KXU2. 

30 Id. § 27, para. 1, sentence 3. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 9

Paragraph 3 lists accounting requirements for donations. Donations must be declared in the 

annual general statement of accounts, which the political party must submit to the President of 

the Bundestag.31 Furthermore, donations from one source exceeding €10,000 in a single 

calendar year must be listed separately with the name and address of the donor.32 Donations 

exceeding €50,000 (about US$53,633) must be reported immediately to the President of the 

Bundestag, who will publish the amount of the donation and the name and address of the donor 

in a parliamentary report.33 

Paragraph 2 contains a list of sources outside of Germany from which a political party may not 

accept donations. Circumstances excepted from that list, among others, include: 

 if the donor is a German citizen, is from an EU member state, or is a company 

headquartered in the EU or at least 50 percent owned by a German or EU citizen; 

 if the donor belongs to a national minority from a country that borders Germany and the 

donation goes to a political party representing that minority; or 

 if the donation from a foreigner does not exceed €1,000 (about US$1,076)34

Furthermore, the Political Parties Act prohibits accepting donations from natural or legal persons 

who clearly donate in expectation of or in return for a certain commercial or legal advantage.35

B. Lawsuit to Obligate Parliament to Release Internal Information on Donations 

Recently, Parliament Watch filed another Freedom of Information Act request asking the 

German parliament to release internal information and documents in connection with donations 

declared in the 2013 and 2014 annual statement of accounts submitted by the political parties. 

The goal of the request was to review how diligently the parliamentary administration checks the 

statements or is able to check the statements and whether they follow up on questionable 

donations. After the German parliament refused to comply with the request, Parliament Watch 

filed suit. 36 

On January 27, 2017, the Administrative Court of Berlin ruled in favor of Parliament Watch and 

obligated the German parliament to release the requested information and documents. It held 

that the Political Parties Act only regulates mandatory disclosures in the annual statement of 

accounts but does not block releases of information on the basis of the general Freedom of 

 

31 Id. §§ 23, 24. 

32 Id. § 25, para. 3, sentence 1. 

33 Id. § 25, para. 3, sentences 2, 3. 

34 Id. § 25, para. 2, no. 3. 

35 Id. § 25, para. 2, no. 7. 

36 Martin Reyher, Urteil: Bundestag muss abgeordnetenwatch.de interne Dokumente zu Parteispenden herausgeben

[Court Decision: Parliament has to Release Internal Information on Party Donations to abgeordenetenwatch.de] 

(Feb. 8, 2017), https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/blog/2017-02-08/urteil-bundestag-muss-abgeordnetenwatchdeinterne-dokumente-zu-parteispenden, archived at http://perma.cc/MUE7-WUFM. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Germany 

The Law Library of Congress 10

Information Act. The Political Parties Act is not lex specialis to the Freedom of Information Act, 

because they do not regulate the same subject matter.37

 

37 VG Berlin, Jan. 27, 2017, 2 K 292.16 & 2 K 69.16, available at https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/sites/ 

abgeordnetenwatch.de/files/urteil_parteispenden_2014.pdf, archived at http://perma.cc/4LNH-8JCJ, and

https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/sites/abgeordnetenwatch.de/files/urteil_parteispenden_2013.pdf, archived at 

http://perma.cc/YC7P-GNF6. 
The Law Library of Congress 11

United Kingdom 

Clare Feikert-Ahalt 

Senior Foreign Law Specialist 

The statutory regulation of lobbyists in the UK is a relatively recent occurrence. Prior to the 

enactment of legislation in 2014, registers and voluntary codes of conduct were relied upon to 

provide clarity during the political process.1 David Cameron (then Conservative Party Leader) 

reportedly stated in 2010 that lobbying in the UK was “the next big scandal waiting to happen.”2

 

In 2014 the government introduced the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and 

Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (the 2014 Act),3

 which requires consultant lobbyists to 

provide their details to a publicly available register. These provisions were introduced in order 

to “ensure that it is clear whose interests are being represented by consultant lobbyists who make 

representations to the Government.”4

 The Act was enacted on January 30, 2014 and the different 

parts of the Act received commencement orders on later dates. The requirement to register as a 

consultant lobbyist entered into force on May 23, 2014,5

 and the remaining provisions entered 

into force on April 1, 2015.6 

Part 1 of the 2014 Act required “consultant lobbyists” to provide information to a publicly 

available register of consultant lobbyists. The register is hosted and supervised by the Registrar 

of Consultant Lobbyists,7 who is required by the Act to be independent of both the lobbying 

industry and the government.8 Under section 2(1) of the 2014 Act, a person is deemed to be 

carrying on the business of consultant lobbying if 

1

 ROBERT ROGERS & RHODRI WALTERS, HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS 104 (7th ed. 2015). 

2

 Andrew Porter, David Cameron Warns Lobbying Is Next Political Scandal, TELEGRAPH (London) (Feb. 8, 2010), 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7189466/David-Cameron-warns-lobbying-is-next-politicalscandal.html, archived at https://perma.cc/5RNV-6EZ2. 

3

 Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (hereinafter 

Transparency of Lobbying Act), c. 4, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/4, archived at

https://perma.cc/47CA-KG8U. 

4

 Transparency of Lobbying Act 2014, Explanatory Notes ¶ 4. 

5

 Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (Commencement 

and Transitional Provision No. 1) Order 2014, SI 2014/1236, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1236/ 

pdfs/uksi_20141236_en.pdf, archived at https://perma.cc/R7JM-7AV2. 

6

 Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (Commencement 

and Transitional Provision No. 3) Order 2015, SI 2015/954, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/ 

2015/954/pdfs/uksi_20150954_en.pdf, archived at https://perma.cc/SU2A-6SHL. 

7 Registration, OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR OF CONSULTANT LOBBYISTS, 

https://registerofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Search (last visited Mar. 22, 2017), archived at

https://perma.cc/2KM8-LURP. 

8

 Transparency of Lobbying Act 2014, Explanatory Notes ¶ 3. 
Lobbying Disclosure Laws: United Kingdom 

The Law Library of Congress 12

(a) in the course of a business and in return for payment, the person makes 

communications within subsection (3) [of section 2] on behalf of another person 

or persons, 

(b) the person is registered under the Value Added Tax Act 1994, and 

(c) none of the exceptions in Part 1 of Schedule 1 applies. 

The requirement that the person be registered under the Value Added Tax Act means that 

individuals who make less than the VAT threshold, which is currently £83,000 (about 

US$103,500),9 do not need to register as consultant lobbyists.10 

Information that a consultant lobbyist must provide to the register includes 

 his/her company name and the address of the company’s registered office; 

 the VAT registration number; 

 the names of the company’s directors, any secretary and shadow directors, or partners where 

applicable; 

 his/her name and the address of his/her main place of business, or other contact address; and 

 the name(s) of his/her clients.11 

The register must also include whether the consultant lobbyist subscribes to a code of conduct 

that is publicly available and, if so, the location of the code. The details on the register must be 

updated on a quarterly basis.12 

Operating as a consultant lobbyist without registering is a criminal offense punishable with a 

fine,13 although the Registrar may opt to pursue civil proceedings and implement a fine of up to 

£7,500 (about US$8,700).14 The government notes that the register “will complement the 

existing transparency regime, whereby Government ministers and permanent secretaries of 

Government departments proactively disclose information about who they meet on a 

quarterly basis.”15 

 

9 VAT Registration Thresholds, GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration-thresholds (last visited Mar. 22, 2017), 

archived at https://perma.cc/B7FL-7GY8. 

10 Elise Uberoi, House of Commons Library, The Register of Consultant Lobbyists, Briefing Paper No. 07175, Jan. 

22, 2016, http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7175/CBP-7175.pdf, archived at

https://perma.cc/6TMJ-FBWX. 

11 Transparency of Lobbying Act 2014, § 4. 

12 Id. § 5. 

13 Transparency of Lobbying Act 2014, § 12. 

14 Id. §§ 13–16. 

15 Id., Explanatory Notes ¶ 3.