Bundestag (website)

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Globe icon of the infobox
bundestag.de
Website logo
Information website
languages German , English , French , Arabic and 15 others
editorial staff German Bundestag
Section IK 6
(online services, parliamentary television)
items over 50,000
Registration unnecessary
On-line January 15, 1996
https://www.bundestag.de/

Bundestag.de is the Internet information portal of the German Bundestag . The main focus is on editorial reporting on Bundestag and committee meetings, live broadcasts of parliamentary television , documentation of parliamentary operations and information on the members of the Bundestag and on the work of the Bundestag. With over 50,000 documents, the site is one of the most extensive Internet sites in Europe. In addition to the German-language, constantly updated page, there is basic information in 18 foreign languages ​​as well as a version in simple language and in sign language .

history

The German Bundestag's online presence began on January 15, 1996 under the domain www.bundestag.de. In line with the state of Internet development, the design of the site was initially simple and text-based. In the following years, however, it was gradually expanded to include new functions and offers. From 1998 u. a. the library catalog, web television and the weekly newspaper Das Parlament were included.

The first major revision took place in 2001 in order to adapt the website to technical developments and the growing demands of users. The aim of the development was to present a lot of information and little graphics. In addition, the page should be barrier-free . On March 16, the Bundestag's new website was presented to the public. In 2004 the site was given a second look. The basic color was now blue and the Reichstag dome functioned as a supporting side element.

Due to growing functionalities, the complexity of the site has increased significantly over the years. The amount of information and the wealth of details made it increasingly difficult for users to find the documents and information they were looking for as quickly and reliably as possible. In response to this, the website was completely redesigned in 2009. A new navigation concept, a realignment of the content and a graphic design that corresponded to the corporate design of the German Bundestag were implemented during the revision. The basic colors changed to gray, black and white, orange was used as the highlight color. The lettering "German Bundestag" with the symbol of the Bundestag eagle became a supporting element on the side. With the start of the revised website on August 12, 2009, the editorial content of the website was expanded. Journalistic coverage of debates in plenary sessions and in the committees was expanded, and parliamentary television was featured prominently on the homepage. Via the media library , users could now access the entire video and audio offer, download videos and integrate them on third pages. Users could subscribe to the latest information directly via web feeds and newsletters . The revision of the website cost 300,000 euros.

In September 2010, the Bundestag launched a mobile version of its website optimized for smartphones. For the iPhone and iPad from Apple, a free app named “German Bundestag” was offered from September 9, 2010 , which was later expanded for the Android operating system and for Windows 8 devices.

In response to the “Arab Spring”, the Bundestag has been offering a version of the website in Arabic since June 2011. The aim of the Arab side is to provide information on fundamental democratic and parliamentary processes. Previously there was an English and French version of the site.

At the beginning of the 18th electoral term in September 2013, the look of the homepage was redesigned. Up to five main topics can now be presented alternately in a rotation module. In addition to the live broadcasts on parliamentary television, other videos can be accessed directly from the media library. The page navigation and the subpages remained unaffected by the revision.

Another complete revision of the entire website took place on October 11, 2016. The portal was converted into a responsive design in order to guarantee full usability on mobile devices. Information related to a topic was bundled on one page so that, for example, printed matter, voting results, resolutions, speeches in plenary and the course of the meeting can be accessed directly.

The navigation can be controlled from a toolbar that remains on the side. All content was taken over from the previous website and structured in levels, with each level offering information in a specific format, such as videos, articles on debates, petitions, event notices or visitor information. The information offered about the members of the Bundestag has also been expanded and networked: In addition to their curriculum vitae, their speeches in the plenary session and their voting behavior in roll-call votes are also offered on the Members' biography pages.

In September 2019, the Bundestag expanded its foreign language Internet offering by 15 languages. In addition to the existing appearances in English, French and Arabic, basic information on the work of the MPs, the Bundestag elections, German legislation and visits to the Reichstag building is now available in the following foreign languages: Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, Greek, Italian, Croatian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Czech and Turkish. The selection criteria were: Germany's neighboring countries, the largest groups of immigrants and world languages.

Content

The information portal offers the following content:

  • Editorial coverage of plenary debates, public committee meetings, special events and exhibitions, and interviews.
  • A daily press service “Today in the Bundestag” (hib), which reports on the deliberations in the committees and provides an overview of the parliamentary submissions (eg bills, motions, inquiries, briefings).
  • Live broadcasts of all meetings of the German Bundestag, numerous public meetings of the committees and study commissions as well as special and in-house events. These will later be available as a video-on-demand offer in the media library.
  • Publication of agendas for the plenary session and the committees, as well as plenary minutes, which have already been entered as preliminary minutes during the current meeting.
  • Biographies, areas of responsibility and information that must be published for all currently 709 members of the German Bundestag.
  • Bundestag press releases.
  • The e-paper of the weekly newspaper "Das Parlament".
  • Online submission and signing of petitions (so-called online petitions ) as well as discussion forums for submitted public petitions.
  • A mobile offer from the website and a free app for iOS, Android and Windows8 operating systems, which offers live broadcasts of plenary debates as well as information about members of parliament, committee meetings and visits to the Reichstag dome.
  • Information pages on the committees and their composition as well as other bodies of the Bundestag (e.g. Council of Elders ).
  • The documentation and information system for parliamentary processes (DIP), in which printed materials from the Bundestag and Bundesrat as well as stenographic reports can be accessed.
  • The library catalog (OPAC) of the parliamentary library of the German Bundestag.
  • The Bundestag's image, web and parliamentary archives.
  • Specialized information and analyzes from the scientific service .
  • A virtual eagle that immediately answers questions from users about Parliament.
  • Newsletter and RSS services.
  • Information from the visitor service and online registration for a visit to the dome or a tour of the Reichstag building.

In easy language

For people with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, impaired perception and for people with limited knowledge of German, the Bundestag has been offering the website in "easy language" since 2011. Information is presented there in a simple and understandable manner in large letters and short sentences.

meaning

The documentation and information system (DIP) can be used to call up all printed matter (including applications, draft bills, minutes) and their deliberations in the parliamentary process since the first legislative period (from 1949). In 2010 the site was one of the first European Parliament sites with a mobile site and a free app. The Bundestag is the only European Parliament to offer a special website for children aged 5 and over. In 1996, in its first year of existence, the site had over 3.5 million hits. Today, according to the Bundestag, the number of hits is 4 to 5 million per month.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Data Handbook of the Bundestag 1990–2010
  2. ↑ Andrea Auler: Bundestag: Give politics a face . In: Handelsblatt . August 12, 2009 ( handelsblatt.com ).
  3. ↑ Bundestag starts "App". In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. September 10, 2010, p. 6.
  4. ↑ For tourists and revolutionaries only. In: The daily newspaper . June 8, 2011.
  5. ↑ www.bundestag.de with a new start page and expanded apps. (No longer available online.) German Bundestag, October 15, 2013, archived from the original on April 2, 2017 ; Retrieved April 1, 2017 .
  6. ↑ New website of the German Bundestag. German Bundestag, October 11, 2016, accessed April 1, 2017 .
  7. ↑ New website for the Bundestag at bundestag.de.
  8. ↑ The Bundestag is expanding its foreign language website to bundestag.de.
  9. ↑ A big house in Berlin. In: The daily newspaper. November 21, 2012, p. 7.
  10. ↑ das-parlament.de
  11. ↑ Parliament of May 11th, 2009: With kuppelkucker.de we have filled a gap , p. 16.
  12. ↑ Bundestag data handbook 1994–2003.