More than one-third of the Bundestag members have reported holding paid secondary jobs or receiving other financial benefits since the current legislative period began. This finding comes from an analysis conducted jointly by the Transparenzinitiative Abgeordnetenwatch and reported by the newspaper Spiegel.
Overall, these parliamentarians declared more than 10.6 million Euros in secondary earnings over the past 15 months. Although secondary activities are permissible, the rules stipulate that these payments cannot function as compensation for a specific voting decision, and the legislator’s primary role must remain the focus of their activity.
A common type of disclosed activity is holding positions in socio-political organizations and interest groups. These roles range from foundations operating in the educational and cultural sectors to economic associations within party circles, such as the CDU’s Economic Council or the SPD’s Economic Forum. These connections are particularly prevalent among members of the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the CDU, with over half of the members in those respective groups reporting such ties. In contrast, CDU members are noted for being more frequently involved in the financial sector and various business or employer associations.
Regarding other political appointments, 40% of Bundestag members hold additional mandates-meaning they also serve in state legislatures, district councils, or municipal bodies. This high participation rate is nearly universal among the faction members of both the AfD and the CDU. Furthermore, nine percent of parliamentarians report holding positions within their own party or having connections to an affiliated organization or foundation, a trend most common among SPD members.
