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The Liaison Office of the German Bundestag in Brussels

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Contents

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The Liaison Office of the German Bundestag in Brussels

The Administration of the German Bundestag in Brussels

The Bundestag’s parliamentary groups in Brussels

CDU/CSU parliamentary group

SPD parliamentary group

The Left Party parliamentary group

Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamentary group

Addresses

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Policymakers need direct lines of communication

Daily life in Germany is being shaped ever more by legisla-tion and decisions adopted in Brussels. Several thousand documents now reach the Bundestag from the European institutions each year, and well over half of the laws the German parliament adopts stem from decisions taken by European Union bodies. European policy is therefore increasingly merging with domestic policy as far as Ger-many is concerned. At the same time, cooperation be-tween the European States

The Liaison Office of the German Bundestag in Brussels

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on international conflicts and other foreign policy questions is becoming more and more important – ultimately, there are many matters that can only be dealt with by pooling resources. However, govern-ments and parliaments have quite distinct information needs. In order for Europe to function, a national parliament like the German Bundestag has to keep a close eye on the workings of the EU institu-tions, given that scrutinising the relevant policies of the German Federal Government and contributing to European policy debates in a timely fashion are among its most important duties. Policymakers therefore need direct lines of communication. The Bundestag opened its Li-aison Office in Brussels at the beginning of 2007, to ensure it would be able to take account

of forward-looking perspec-tives on European affairs and would be informed in good time about discussions that were taking place within the EU institutions. The Liaison Office monitors forthcoming initiatives and decisions at the European level and is staffed by personnel provided by the parliamentary groups and Administration of the German Bundestag. It is based in the immediate vicinity of the European Parliament building. This puts the Bundestag in good company: the German Federal Government, the Ger-man Länder, the bodies that represent Germany’s local authorities and many of the European Member States’ na-tional parliaments are repre-sented with staff and offices in Brussels.

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Hotline to Brussels

Square de Meeûs, sixth floor, at the heart of the European Quarter. The people who work here are employed by the Bun-destag’s Administration and parliamentary groups to in-form its Members, committees and parliamentary groups about ongoing political devel-opments within the EU institu-tions. The staff at the Liaison Office review policy informa-tion from Brussels for the Bundestag in Berlin and eval-uate news about planned leg-islative projects or the pro-gress of negotiations on EU initiatives that will affect the interests of the Federal Repub-lic of Germany. The Liaison Office is therefore the most direct channel of communica-tion between Brussels and Berlin.

Advance monitoring, early warnings and networking are the most important tasks car-ried out by the Liaison Office, enabling the Bundestag to ex-ercise its rights to participate in and scrutinise the German Federal Government’s policy-making at the earliest possible stage. Opening the Liaison Of-fice in the ‘capital of Europe’ has enabled the Bundestag to build a dense information- gathering network with links to the various EU institutions, such as the European Parlia-ment and the European Com-mission. At the same time, the functions performed by the Brussels office include cooper-ation with the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany, the rep-resentations of the German Länder, the Committee of the Regions, and the Economic and Social Committee. Finally, the Liaison Office maintains close contacts with the foun-dations, organisations and lob-by groups that are also repre-sented in Brussels.

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The Administration staff at the Liaison Office draft a ‘Report from Brussels’ for the Bundes-tag’s Members, committees and parliamentary groups each week when the Bundestag is sitting, as well as regularly producing topical ‘briefing notes’ on individual subjects. In addition to this, the Liaison Office provides information about events, meetings and conferences in Brussels that are of interest for the Bundes-tag, and supports the commit-tees and committee delegations when they hold meetings in Brussels. Moreover, its staff can be contacted directly by Members and are available to answer enquiries of all kinds about the Bundestag from other organisations.

Linking different political levels

Apart from the Bundestag Ad-ministration, the parliamenta-ry groups occupy offices and have staff at the Liaison Office as well. Their employees gath-er information about topics that are of particular interest for the parliamentary groups. In particular, they are able to communicate the latest news and political ‘atmospherics’ to the key decision-makers in their parties. Thanks to their close links with the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) of the groupings to which their own parties are affiliated, MEPs’ staff and oth-er political contacts, they are able to pass on policy assess-ments and surveys of opinion to Berlin, and therefore have an important role in stimulat-ing debates in Germany. This ensures the Bundestag’s par-liamentary groups can adopt

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clear positions on European issues at an early point in pro-ceedings, while strengthening their influence on decision- making processes in Brussels. The staff in Brussels are able to track the coordination activ- ities that take place between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the other EU institutions at very close quarters. In prac-tice, the participation of the Bundestag in European policy- making involves its Members and parliamentary groups using both committee meet-ings and plenary sessions to exercise parliamentary over-sight over decision-making in Brussels. They are informed

about EU initiatives at an early stage by the German Federal Government and, above all, the Liaison Office, and have the right to deliver comments that must be considered by the German Federal Government when it takes part in the delibera-tions of the Council of the European Union. In this way, the Bundestag’s Members and parliamentary groups exert influence on EU legislation.

Participation guaranteed

Thanks to its networks in Brussels, the Bundestag is therefore able to gather infor-mation more rapidly and ef-fectively – through the Liaison Office – use the scope it has to shape events and contribute to the developments that take place at the EU level in good time. It is required to do this by the German Basic Law: Ar-ticle 23 states that, in order to

Page 5:Working together for the Bundestag in Brussels: the team at the German Bundes-tag’s Liaison Office.

Bundestag President Norbert Lammert (2nd row, left) and mem bers of the Bun des-tag’s delegation to the Interparliamentary Conference on Economic Governance of the European Union in Brussels.

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establish a united Europe, the Federal Republic of Germany is to participate in the devel-opment of the EU. The Bun-destag and Bundesrat must be able to participate in matters concerning the EU, to which end they must be informed comprehensively at an early stage. The scrutiny of the Ger-man Federal Government’s European policy is an impor-tant duty for the Bundestag. Its rights of scrutiny over, and participation in, government policymaking were strength-ened in 2013 by the revised Act on Cooperation between the Federal Government and the German Bundestag in Matters concerning the Euro-pean Union (EUZBBG): this act enables the Bundestag to exercise its rights of informa-tion and participation by de-livering opinions pursuant to Article 23 of the Basic Law.

In May 2005, the Bundestag took decisive steps to strength-en its European credentials. Apart from laying the political foundations for the Agreement between the German Bundes-tag and the Federal Govern-ment on Cooperation in Mat-ters concerning the European Union, the Bundestag decided unanimously to establish the Liaison Office, which was fi-nally opened in the European Quarter on 5 February 2007 by the President of the German Bundestag, Norbert Lammert (CDU/CSU). Since then, the Liaison Office has formed the direct link between the Bundestag and the European Union.

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Early warnings and advance monitoring

The staff of the Bundestag Ad-ministration belong to its EU Liaison Office (Division PE 4) which helps Germany’s par-liament exploit opportunities to obtain information and par-ticipate in European affairs. Its personnel at the heart of Europe enable the division to offer the committees and par-liamentary groups of the Bun-destag support directly from Brussels when EU legislative projects and policy initiatives are being debated. In this respect, advance monitoring and the provision of early warnings are also among the essential functions performed by the Administration staff in Brussels.

The Administration of the German Bundestag in Brussels

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They draft a ‘Report from Brussels’ each week when the Bundestag is sitting, as well as regular ‘briefing notes’ on topical themes. The ‘Report from Brussels’ is usually made up of sections that cover pro-jects planned by the European Commission and provides updates on the progress of deliberations about important projects in the Council and the European Parliament.

Networking and dialogue

Only if the Members of the Bundestag are kept informed on an ongoing basis about the progress of deliberations on important EU legislative pro-jects can they contribute con-tinuously and promptly to the decision-making on these projects. The Administration staff therefore attend meetings of the European Parliament’s committees, events and press conferences, at which they gather important information for the Bundestag. Above all,

however, they cultivate close relationships with the Europe-an Parliament, its committee secretariats, other administra-tive units and MEPs’ staff. Furthermore, the progress of the discussions on important European projects is of par-ticular interest among stake-holders. Apart from this, contacts to other EU organs, above all the European Com-mission and its directorates- general, are not to be under-estimated. The Bundestag staff are also in close contact, and regularly exchange im-portant news, with their col-leagues at the liaison offices of the other national parliaments – most of the EU’s 28 Member States now have a parliamen-tary representation in the Belgian capital. In particular against the background of the

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Visit by the Bundestag’s Committee on Affairs of the European Union in Brussels.

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increased oversight over sub-sidiarity that is provided for in the Lisbon Treaty, the regu-lar meetings between person-nel from these representations foster a lively dialogue. Apart from official facts and figures, the staff of the Liaison Office therefore collect a great deal of unofficial information that helps to convey the most com-prehensive possible picture of important European projects to Berlin.

Support at the heart of Europe

Ever more Bundestag commit-tees are travelling to Brussels to find out about various sub-ject areas for themselves in personal discussions with representatives of EU institu-tions or hold joint meetings with committees of the Euro-pean Parliament and other national parliaments. In this respect, the Liaison Office

provides both substantive and organisational support to the Members and committees of the Bundestag, for which pur-pose it coordinates its activi-ties with the Permanent Rep-resentation and the committee secretariats. In addition to this, Members of the German Bundestag take part in joint parliamentary meetings that are organised regularly by the European Parliament. Prior to such events, the Administra-tion staff draw up what are known as ‘initial briefings’ for the committees and Members of the Bundestag, which they can draw on when deciding who should represent Ger-many’s parliament on these occasions.

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The Bundestag’s parliamentary groups in Brussels

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A level playing field in Europe

The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group in the German Bundes-tag actively supported the establishment of a Liaison Office in Brussels from the very beginning and promoted it with great commitment. Nowadays, more than half of all national legislation is influ-enced by Brussels. The pres-ence of the German Bundestag with an office of its own in Brussels is therefore of essen-tial significance. The parlia-mentary groups play a special role as political actors in Germany’s legislature. For

CDU/CSU parliamentary group

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the chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Volker Kauder, the national par-liaments’ participation in the affairs of the European Union is a particular concern: “The German Bundestag’s new rights to information and par-ticipation, which even allow it to submit formal objections when the European Commis-sion oversteps its compe-tences, make the national par-liaments fully fledged protago-nists in the affairs of the EU.” The CSU Land group chair-woman Gerda Hasselfeldt believes that “instruments such as the early warning system help the Commission to give better consideration to justified national interests. We will make intensive use of these instruments.” The CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s Liaison Office in Brus-sels supports the work of the parties’ Bundestag Members.

The goal is to coordinate and harmonise the policies of the parliamentary group in the German Bundestag and the CDU/CSU group in the Euro-pean Parliament. Apart from this, the office makes the arrangements for the increas-ingly frequent visits by indi-vidual Members and whole working groups to European institutions. The parliamenta-ry group’s managing executive committee has met regularly in Brussels since the opening of the Liaison Office. This offers the opportunity to exert direct influence where it mat-ters by conducting discus-sions with representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

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Above:Giving early warnings, cultivating contacts, building networks – the CDU/CSU parliamenta-ry group team supplies Bundestag Members with valuable informa-tion on European policy matters; pictured here with deputy chairman of the parliamentary group Hans-Peter Friedrich (middle).

Page 15 (from left): Volker Kauder, chair-man of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, and Gerda Hasselfeldt, chairwoman of the CSU Land group.

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A competent team in Brussels

The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundes-tag is represented strongly and competently with three policy experts and one cleri-cal officer in Brussels. All the staff at the Liaison Office can boast of many years working in or experience with EU in-stitutions. It is thanks in part to this experience that the team, whose members are re-sponsible for different topics, has fitted so perfectly into the Brussels environment. Organi-sationally, the Liaison Office falls under the leadership of the parliamentary group and reports to the deputy chair-man of the parliamentary group responsible for Europe-an policy and coordination, Hans-Peter Friedrich. Gathering information and assessing what is happening on the European stage for the parliamentary group are just as much priorities for the staff at the Liaison Office as build-ing networks and cultivating contacts with European insti-tutions.

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A strong, progressive Europe

As long ago as 1866, the Ger-man Social Democrats called for the creation of a ‘European state characterised by a spirit of solidarity’ in their first electoral manifesto, so laying the foundations for the move-ment’s internationalist con-victions. This was continued in 1925 in the SPD’s Heidel-berger Programm with its call for the ‘creation of a United States of Europe’. European unity has been a central leit-motif for the SPD parliamen-tary group, with a social Europe as our response to globalisation. This tradition provides the context for the

SPD parliamentary group

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work being done today by the parliamentary group of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): Europe, and in particular the European Union, are of outstanding pol-itical significance as spheres of action. The European Union orchestrates political, economic and social progress under the conditions of glob alisation.In pursuit of this, close coop-eration between the European institutions and national par-liaments is becoming ever more important. Thanks to the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the mem-bers of the national parlia-ments have gained new rights to participate in debates, con-tribute to decision-making and scrutinise European pol-icy. These rights can only be exercised effectively by par-liamentarians if they are in-formed about current Europe-an policy developments.

The work of the SPD parliamentary group in Brussels

The Liaison Office not only has tremendous symbolic sig-nificance for the SPD parlia-mentary group, but is also of huge practical relevance. Its main task is the advance mon-itoring of decision-making processes in the European institutions. The Liaison Office supplies background briefings about initiatives be-ing planned by the European Commission, the Council Secretariat and the European Parliament. The office’s areas of activity include the cultivation of contacts with the SPD group in the European Parliament,

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Above:Norbert Spinrath, Euro-pean policy spokesman for the SPD parliamen-tary group

Page 19 (from left):Thomas Oppermann, chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, and Axel Schäfer, the parliamentary group’s deputy chairman responsible for EU affairs.

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the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D Group), the coordination of collaborative projects, and the preparation and holding of joint meetings and events with the SPD group in the European Parliament. The Liaison Office’s work also involves building up and cultivating a comprehensive network of contacts with the EU institutions, the European Parliament committees, Germany’s Permanent Rep-resentation, the representa-tions of other national par-liaments in Brussels, trade unions, advocacy organisa-tions, and political and aca-demic institutions. Its staff obtain information, draw up regular reports, and assist SPD Bundestag Members and working groups when they are involved in political discus-sions. Two policy experts are employed by the SPD parlia-mentary group at the Liaison Office and report to Axel Schäfer, the deputy chairman of the parliamentary group responsible for European Union affairs.

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A social, democratic, peaceful Europe

Ongoing crisis, cuts to social services, democratic deficit – the European Union is caught in a crossfire of criticism. Rightly so, given that under the Treaty of Lisbon it has committed to a free-market economic and monetary un-ion in which the idea of a so-cial Europe appears to be in-creasingly lost. This applies all the more in light of the Euro crisis and an approach to fighting European crises that sees the countries affected condemned to rigorous cuts to social services and oppressive budgetary directives. In light of this situation and the steadily increasing signifi-cance of decisions from Brus-sels on the direction of policy in the EU Member States, an early warning system, such

The Left Party parliamentary group

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as that offered by the German Bundestag’s Liaison Office, is especially important. Sahra Wagenknecht, chairwoman of the Left Party parliamentary group, underlines the signifi-cance of parliamentary net-working and cooperation “especially for left-wing forces who view the EU’s neoliberal orientation as critically as they do the anti-crisis policy promoted by the European institutions and governments, which condemns entire coun-tries to social misery and squanders billions in tax rev-enue on banking sector bail-outs.”Diether Dehm, European po-licy spokesman of the Left Party parliamentary group, hopes first and foremost that the Liaison Office delivers “in formation and resistance”, for example by making public “background information about the corporate lobbyists active in Brussels and the pressure they place on governments to cut social benefits.”

Wolfgang Gehrcke, chairman of the Left Party parliamenta-ry group’s Working Group on International Policy, empha-sises the necessity of “stand-ing up against the dangers of an increasingly confrontation-al foreign policy and growing militarisation of the European Union, and campaigning for a new security strategy with the involvement of Russia.” Extensive information pro-curement, well-maintained contacts and functioning co-operation at various levels is essential in light of all these aspects in order to formulate well-founded criticism, create scope for action and demon-strate political alternatives. This is the work of the Left Party parliamentary group’s Liaison Office in Brussels.

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Above:Valuable links at a time of crisis – the Left Party parliamentary group’s member of staff sup-ports the work of the party’s Bundestag Members in Berlin from Brussels.

Page 23 (from left):Dietmar Bartsch and Sahra Wagenknecht, chairs of the Left Party parliamentary group.

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Well-connected in Brussels for the Left

Early information, building a network of contacts, develop-ing the exchange between Brussels and the Bundestag in Berlin on an ongoing basis – these have been the central el-ements of the work of the Left Party parliamentary group’s Liaison Office since its crea-tion. Contact to trade unions, social movements and anti-militaristic and feminist initi-atives are also crucial for the Brussels office. Furthermore, it currently collaborates with the 52 MEPs from 14 coun-tries belonging to the Confed-eral Group of the United Euro-pean Left/Nordic Green Left in the European Parliament,

along with the Rosa Luxem-burg Foundation in Brussels and the Party of the European Left (EL), which also has its offices on Square de Meeûs. From the Left’s perspective, good cooperation, both in Brussels itself as well as be-tween Brussels and Berlin, is essential for combining powers, especially in times of crisis, to defend democratic rights and fight the further erosion of social rights in Europe.

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Strength, solidarity, Green values: a Europe fit for the future

The process of European inte-gration is an unprecedented success story: peace, security and solidarity, democracy and the rule of law are what the European Union represents. The Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamentary group is com-mitted to achieving a strong EU that is capable of acting effectively. Our shared future lies in Europe. It is only by working together that we can overcome the challenges of the global age. The more we hold together within the EU, the more powerfully we can tackle the tasks of the future.

Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamentary group

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These include combatting climate change, stabilising the euro in the long term and regulating financial markets, restructuring the economy socially and ecologically, and committing to peace and global justice. As the financial and economic crisis has shown, the EU must continue to develop in future. By cooperating more closely, the EU and its Member States can open up new scope for action. Any further develop-ment must be subject to dem-ocratic scrutiny and undertak-en in a transparent fashion. This requires strong involve-ment on the part of parlia-ments, the social partners, civil society and Europe’s citizens. In light of the major signifi-cance the EU has for our na-tional policy, the Green par-liamentary group considers it a core objective to follow political developments in Brussels and be represented there.

The Green team in Brussels

The Green parliamentary group has in recent years successfully campaigned for strong parliamentary involve-ment in European policy areas and decisions. European po l-icy is a matter for every one of us! This is why all the 63 Green Bundestag Members are aware of European policy developments within their remits. The great importance of European policy is also reflected in the parliamentary group’s working structure.

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Above:Close cooperation, information and net-working – Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamen-tary group staff in Brussels.

Page 27 (from left):Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamentary group, and Manuel Sarrazin, the parliamentary group’s European policy spokesman.

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The group’s team of four at the Brussels office collabo-rates closely with its working groups. It briefs Members at an early stage about key events at European level that are important for the parlia-mentary group and advises them on the development of European policy initiatives. The parameters for these activities are defined by the European policy priorities the parliamentary group in the German Bundestag adopts reg-ularly at the beginning of each year. The group’s European policy spokesman, Manuel Sarrazin, and the members of the Bundestag’s European Affairs Committee devote particular attention to the fun-damental issues of European policy and the roadmap for further European integration.

In addition to this, the Green parliamentary group team at the Liaison Office has built up a dense network of represent-atives of the European institu-tions, advocacy groups and non-governmental organisa-tions. It maintains close con-tact with the Green group of MEPs in the European Parlia-ment, the European Green Party (EGP), and Green politi-cal foundations such as the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Green European Founda-tion. Furthermore, the team supports Green parliamentary group Members when they travel to Brussels to learn about the latest developments.

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The Liaison Office of the German Bundestag in BrusselsSquare de Meeûs 40B-1000 BrusselsEU Liaison Office – Division PE 4Telephone: + 32 2 50 44 385Fax: + 32 2 50 44 398verbindungsbuero-bruessel@bundestag.de

Addresses

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CDU/ CSU parliamentary groupTelephone: + 32 2 50 44 516Fax: + 32 2 50 44 527cducsu-bruessel@cducsu.de SPD parliamentary groupTelephone: + 32 2 50 44 534Fax: + 32 2 50 44 548verbindungsbuero@ spdfraktion.de

The Left Party parliamentary groupTelephone: + 32 2 50 44 570Fax: + 32 2 50 44 579judith.benda@ linksfraktion.de Alliance 90 / The Greens parliamentary groupTelephone:+ 32 2 50 44 550Fax: + 32 2 50 44 559buero.bruessel@ gruene-bundestag.de

Published by: German Bundestag, Public Relations DivisionText p. 2–11, Edited by: Georgia RauerTranslated by: Language Service of the German BundestagDesign: Regelindis Westphal Grafik-Design Bundestag eagle: Created by Professor Ludwig Gies, revised in 2008 by büro uebelePhotos: Cover Fotolia / elxeneize; inner covers German Bundestag / Bildschön / Jan Schumacher; p. 4/5, p. 7, p. 28 DBT / HorstWagner.eu; p. 10, p. 24 DBT / Marc-Steffen Unger; p. 12 Fotolia / robert lerich; p. 15 (V. Kauder) DBT / Thomas Köhler / photothek.net; p. 15 (G. Hasselfeldt) Tobias Koch / www.tobiaskoch.net; p. 16/17 CDU/CSU parliamentary group; p. 19 (T. Oppermann, A. Schäfer), p. 23 (D. Bartsch, S. Wagenknecht), p. 27 (M. Sarrazin) DBT / Achim Melde; p. 20/21 DBT / Stella von Saldern; p. 27 (A. Hofreiter) DBT / Thomas Imo / photothek.net Printed by: Druckhaus Waiblingen, Remstal-Bote GmbH

As at: January 2016 © Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin All rights reserved.

This publication is produced by the German Bundestag as part of its public relations work. It is provided free of charge, is not intended for resale and must not be used for election campaign purposes.

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