Berlin – The parties in Germany, according to the wishes of the traffic light coalition as well as the Union and the Left Party, must make their finances more transparent and in the future disclose not only donations but also sponsorship amounts. This is stated in the draft for a reformed party law, which the newspapers of the „Editorial Network Germany“ report in their Wednesday editions.

According to the draft, all such donations from a contribution of 750 euros must be published in a separate „sponsorship report“. There have been „transparency deficits“ in the area of sponsorship, according to the draft law, which is to be discussed for the first time in the Bundestag on Thursday. Except for the AfD, all parties in the Bundestag were involved in the negotiations. In the future, an „appropriate and market-standard relationship between performance and consideration“ will be generally required.

Otherwise, the income is considered a donation. In order to make this understandable to the public, the sponsorship report must also show the type and circumstances of the sponsorship, in addition to the name and address of the donor and the amount of the donation, according to the draft. More transparency should also be created for donations: Large donations must be reported immediately from a amount of 35,000 euros. Previously, the limit was 50,000 euros.

The revision of the party law also aims to close a loophole: For the first time, regulations for so-called parallel actions are being established. These are advertising campaigns paid for by individuals, associations, or companies in the style and design of a party. They will be considered donations in the future if the party does not request a cease and desist order.