rules established for former senators' professions in Berlin - Berlin Proposes Employment Regulations for Former Politicians
Berlin Introduces Job Rules for Former Senators to Prevent Conflicts of Interest
In a bid to enhance government integrity and prevent biased decision-making, the Berlin Senate is planning to introduce regulations for former senators, restricting their job opportunities for a defined period. The new rules, which are expected to be passed before the September 2026 election, will require former senators to notify the Senate of any employment outside the public service for 24 months after leaving office. During this period, new employment can generally be prohibited for 12 to a maximum of 24 months [1][3].
Unlike Berlin, there is no information available on specific job rules for former senators or comparable officials in Brandenburg. The search results do not provide details on whether Brandenburg has similar restrictions or a different legal framework regarding post-office employment for former government officials [2].
According to the draft law, the Berlin Senate will have the power to prohibit former senators from engaging in certain jobs, should they pose a conflict of interest. A draft of the new rules is already available and will be submitted to the Senate Administration of Finance for administrative and association involvement at the beginning of September. The details of the cooling-off period regulation are not specified in the article [4].
Last week, there was a discussion about former Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach of Brandenburg, who was initially not allowed to exercise his consulting activity for a law firm due to the cooling-off period [5]. At the time, Steinbach was the SPD Economics Minister in Brandenburg. The cooling-off period regulation aims to balance the interests of preventing biased decision-making and allowing former senators to work [6].
The new rules in Berlin are designed to allow senators to take up professional employment after leaving office, while ensuring that their decisions were not influenced by potential conflicts of interest. The aim is to maintain the trust in the integrity of the government [1].
| Aspect | Berlin | Brandenburg | |--------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| | Current rule for former senators| Almost unrestricted job opportunities, even with former partners | No information available | | Planned changes | Notification of employment outside public service required; employment can be prohibited for 12-24 months post-office | Unknown | | Timing of new rules | Before House of Representatives election, Sept 2026 | Unknown |
Further research would be needed to outline Brandenburg's regulations on post-office employment for former government officials.
[1] Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter discussed the new rules with the "Tagesspiegel". [2] The Berlin Senate plans to introduce a cooling-off period regulation for Senate members in the Senatorial Act. [3] The activity can generally be prohibited for 12, at most 24 months, within this period, according to the draft. [4] The details of the cooling-off period regulation are not specified in the article. [5] Last week, there was a discussion about former Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach of Brandenburg, who was initially not allowed to exercise his consulting activity for a law firm due to the cooling-off period. [6] The cooling-off period regulation aims to balance the interests of preventing biased decision-making and allowing former senators to work.
- The Berlin Senate's new policy on former senators aims to prevent conflicts of interest by restricting their job opportunities for a defined period, unlike the scenario in Brandenburg where specific regulations remain unknown.
- The Berlin policy on employment for former senators, which includes the requirement for notification of employment outside the public service for 24 months post-office, is expected to balance the interests of preventing biased decision-making and allowing former senators to work, contrasting with the general news on Brandenburg's regulations that remain unclear.
