Political influence and lobbying activities (G1-5)

DB Group’s positioning on key developments in the business environment in 2025 is presented below. These can also be viewed in the lobby register.

• Federal budget: DB Group is committed to the needs-based allocation of funds for infrastructure, especially for the existing network. In addition, DB Group is committed to adaptable train-path price support for long-distance rail passenger transport and rail freight transport in order to maintain the competitiveness of train operating companies.
• Bureaucracy reduction package for rail: DB Group is committed to implementing the rail-related recommendations of the Regulatory Control Council for a reform agenda as well as the outstanding recommendations of the pact to accelerate planning, approval and implementation and the Rail Acceleration Commission (Beschleunigungskommission Schiene; BKS) and other proposals for reducing bureaucracy.
• Simplification and acceleration of tender procedures: DB Group is committed to ensuring that the existing potential for simplifying and accelerating tender procedures is utilized as part of the planned legislation. Provisions should be easy to handle in practice and not cause any bureaucratic effort.
• Federal Collective Bargaining Compliance Act: DB Group is committed to appropriate consideration of the procurement realities of sector contracting authorities pursuant to Section 100 (1) no. 2 (b) of the Competition Act (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen; GWB).
• Federal Police Act: DB Group is committed to maintaining the assumption of costs by the Federal Police for the use of properties and facilities provided by DB Group.
• Germany-Ticket: DB Group is committed to ensuring the continuity of financing for the Germany-Ticket and the associated planning security.
• Revision of the Law on Intelligent Transport Systems (Gesetz über intelligente Verkehrssysteme; IVSG): DB Group is committed to the protection of data relevant to competition. Furthermore, no additional data collection obligations may arise that go beyond the requirements of EU law.
• Fee determination and regulation: DB Group is committed to a regulatory framework that enables a functional train-path pricing system that is compatible with transport policy targets and creates a fair distribution of the burden between different types of transport. To this end, the financial and regulatory basis must be reviewed and adapted.
• Further development of the financing system for rail infrastructure: DB Group is committed to further developing the financing system. What is needed is an overarching strategy from the Federal Government, increased commitment, transparency and predictability, a stronger role for the Federal Government as a service orderer, and a careful balance between user financing and Government financing. A legally enshrined infrastructure plan shall be the guiding instrument for implementation. This will be financed on a binding basis over the course of the year.
• Strengthening critical infrastructures: DB Group is committed to ensuring that neither it nor rail as a mode of transport are placed at a competitive disadvantage by the requirements of the KRITIS Umbrella Act and the NIS2 (Network and Information Security 2) Implementation Act.
• Energy and climate policy: DB Group is committed to reducing the electricity tax for electricity used in rail transport to € 0.50 per megawatt hour.
• EU Capacity Regulation: DB Group is committed to the standardization and long-term planning of capacity allocation in Europe. Train operating companies must be systematically integrated into the process.
• EU Weights and Dimension Directive: DB Group is committed to ensuring that a revision of the permitted weights and dimensions for road freight transport does not disadvantage rail transport in intermodal competition.
• Technical Specifications for Interoperability of Telematics Applications: DB Group is committed to ensuring that the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM) sector standard, which is already being implemented with a target date of 2025, is included in the European technical regulation (TSI TA).
• Proposals to strengthen multimodal and sectoral passenger rights: DB Group is committed to ensuring that uniform regulations between the modes of transport are sought for the same circumstances. New provisions should be easy to handle in practice and not cause any bureaucratic effort.
• EU financial framework: DB Group is committed to maintaining and increasing the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding instrument. It should be made clear that CEF can also be used for central digitalization projects such as the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) or the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
• Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation: DB Group is committed to ensuring that there is no additional regulation in view of the progress made by the European railway sector as part of the ticketing roadmap of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER). If so, this must be designed in such a way that what has been achieved is not jeopardized and commercial freedom is preserved.
• Reform of EU public procurement law: DB Group is committed to ensuring that the reform leads to a significant reduction in the administrative burden for DB Group as both client body and contractor.

In order to ensure that the cultivation of political relationships, particularly in dealings with public officials, always takes place within the permissible framework and serves DB Group’s reputation, the divisions involved work in coordination with the Compliance department. The Compliance department also monitors compliance with the internal guidelines describing the activities of the representation of special interests on behalf of the Management Board.

In 2025, the following Supervisory Board members were newly appointed having held a comparable position in public administration in the two years prior to their appointment: Dr. Claudia Stutz (State Secretary at the BMV), Frank Krüger (Head of Department at the BMV) and Dr. Andreas Kerst (Head of Department at the Federal Ministry of Finance).