LobbyControl e.V.

Description

LobbyControl, whose full name is Initiative für Transparenz und Demokratie e.V., is a German nonprofit association that reports on power structures and influence strategies in Germany and the European Union. It advocates for transparency, democratic control and clear limits on efforts to influence politics and the public.

The organization says a fair democracy should be shaped by an active civil society rather than by the most influential lobbyists. It says politics should be made for everyone. LobbyControl researches and informs the public about influence on political decision-making, lobby networks and problematic financing of political parties in Germany and the EU.

Its main areas of work are lobby control and rules for lobbying, the relationship between lobbying and climate policy, and the power of large digital companies. It uses petitions and campaigns to make its demands visible and to mobilize people to get involved. It calls on policymakers to adopt and enforce clear rules on lobbying, developing concrete proposals and engaging directly with those responsible in politics.

The association was founded in 2005 and has grown continuously since. It now has 34 staff working from offices in Cologne and Berlin. It is led by an honorary board of five people elected by the association’s members, who receive only an expense allowance.

LobbyControl is funded mainly by donations from individuals and by membership fees, with a smaller share coming from foundation grants, sales of publications and fees for its lobby-critical city tours. It accepts no donations from companies and no public subsidies.