Gregor Gysi, a politician from the Left Party, has defended his substantial supplementary income earned while serving as a member of the Bundestag. According to data evaluated by Spiegel in collaboration with the transparency initiative Abgeordnetenwatch, Gysi generated approximately €250,000 in earnings from paid activities outside of parliament within a single year. His earnings from roles such as guest speaker, moderator, and lecturer reportedly exceeded €200,000 alone.
The data further revealed that very few other parliamentarians report receiving compensation for speeches. For instance, CDU politician Caroline Bosbach received a total of €40,300 for ten speeches, while her party ally Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker reportedly received €1,190 for a single lecture.
Facing criticism regarding the volume of his non-parliamentary engagements-reported as 73 paid appearances over nearly 15 months-Gysi dismissed the concerns. “My supplementary activities do not impair my duties as a parliamentarian,” he told Spiegel, adding that his heavy schedule also stemmed from personal reasons.
Gysi also addressed how much of this supplementary income he retains. He explained that his work as a lawyer is currently a net loss for him because the share of operating costs far exceeds his income. Since the tax office offsets this deficit, he retained €202,097.15 from his side income alone. Furthermore, he stated that he contributes €3,000 monthly in donations and contributions to his party, alongside donating roughly €2,000 for charitable purposes. Ultimately, he stated that his net income from parliamentary stipends and side income amounts to €11,051.36.
Regarding his parliamentary performance during the current legislative period, Gysi has delivered five speeches and missed names-based votes in 26 out of 57 instances. He expressed regret for these absences, citing the early federal election as a reason. He also elaborated that the dates for his 2025 events were planned the previous year, but the formation of the governing coalition (Ampel-Aus) disrupted his schedule. He concluded on a positive note, promising that his attendance will be much better in 2026.
