The Union’s faction in the Bundestag plans to examine whether the Members of Parliament Act needs to be revised amid the AfD‑related affair.
According to CDU politician Hendrik Hoppenstedt, chair of the Rules of Procedure Committee, “we want to protect taxpayers from any further damage and will explore how the Act can be tightened to put an end to this abuse swamp”. He added that the AfD’s behaviour is “shameless and unacceptable” and that politics is “not a self‑service shop”. Earlier, SPD legal adviser Johannes Fechner had called for the Union to discuss a stricter approach.
Opposing the SPD’s proposal, Green parliamentary manager Irene Mihalic said the current Act does not regulate employment of other MPs or members of other parliamentary factions. “Given the already strict rules in place, we see no immediate need for change, though we remain open to suggestions” she told T‑Online. The Act already bars the hiring of family members in one’s own office.
Mihalic further emphasized that any misuse of “political friendship services” is expressly disapproved. She cited examples such as “mutual agreements among MPs to employ each other’s relatives” or “solely nominal hiring of another MP’s family member”. She added that a blanket publication of all employees’ names is viewed critically, particularly amid rising far‑right attacks that threaten staff safety.
