Weekly proceedings in the German Parliament (Bundestag)
In the recent sessions of the German Bundestag from March 15 to 17, 2023, a variety of significant bills were discussed, aiming to shape the future of tax transparency, criminal code reform, public transport, democracy promotion, childcare expansion, energy relief, electoral system reform, whistleblower protection, and expanded government leeway in trustee administrations.
One of the key bills under consideration is the implementation of an EU directive on the disclosure of income tax information for multinational and high-revenue companies. This bill, if passed, will grant the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) the power to delegate supervisory powers to private actors, which can be withdrawn at any time. The aim is to make it easier to trace whether these companies pay taxes where they operate, as they will have to disclose their tax payments not only to the tax authorities but also to the public.
Another notable bill is the Democracy Promotion Act, which creates a legal mandate for the federal government to promote and strengthen democracy and prevent any form of extremism for the first time. This act will fund numerous projects with increasing financial resources to promote democracy and prevent extremism, and these projects will continue to be scientifically accompanied to test their effectiveness and sustainability.
The Germany ticket, a nationwide public transport subscription ticket designed to promote climate-friendly mobility, is also a topic of discussion. Bills or debates likely addressed its funding, implementation timeframe, and integration into public transport systems.
The federal government is also drafting a bill to amend the Regionalisation Act, which stipulates that the states are entitled to a share of the federal tax revenue for the financing of public transport. The aim is to make public transport more attractive and to financially relieve commuters, while making a significant contribution to more climate-friendly mobility.
The coalition factions have introduced a draft bill to expand the circle of supervisory authorities for relief measures for final consumers and businesses, including private legal entities. This bill aims to make it easier for consumers and businesses to access relief measures during challenging economic times.
In the realm of criminal code reform, legislative efforts in Germany typically focus on modernizing laws related to digital crime, hate crime, and procedural safeguards. The federal government is introducing a bill to reform the Criminal Code's sanctions, aiming to strengthen rehabilitation, prevention, and protection against discrimination.
The Bundestag is also debating and implementing a reform to permanently limit its number of members. The standard size of the Bundestag will be 630 seats, with no more excess and equalization mandates.
The legislative amendment is intended to ensure appropriate punishment for femicides, recognising if a woman is killed because she is a woman, this must be recognised as femicide and regularly punished as murder with a lower motive.
The draft bill also plans further changes in the commercial code law, including expanding the disclosure requirement and amending the penalties and fines for commercial code violations.
Lastly, the coalition factions are introducing two draft bills in the Bundestag to improve the protection of informants, including prohibiting professional reprisals such as dismissals due to reports of misconduct.
These are the key points of the recent government bills discussed in the German Bundestag from March 15 to 17, 2023. For precise details, official Bundestag records or government publications from March 2023 would need to be consulted directly.
- The debate on the Democracy Promotion Act in the German Bundestag emphasizes the importance of policy-and-legislation in fostering democracy and preventing extremism, with a focus on funding and testing the effectiveness of projects aimed at these objectives.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development, the Bundestag is considering proposals to strengthen the protection of informants, which includes preventing professional reprisals against those who report misconduct, underscoring the significance of general-news regarding these reforms.
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