With the kickoff event “Bitcoin im Bundestag,” Bitcoin entered political discourse in Germany. Roman Reher of Blocktrainer, the largest German-speaking Bitcoin YouTube channel, and Christian Klager, CEO and founder of terahash.energy GmbH, gave two impressive presentations in the German Parliament. Since German politicians still primarily associate Bitcoin with criminal activities, money laundering and climate damage, the aim was to promote a better understanding of the unique opportunities offered by Bitcoin.
Privacy was paramount to the start of the event. Given that Bitcoin remains a complex topic in German politics, ensuring full privacy for the attending MPs and their staff was crucial to sparing them potential rebuke from their party leaders. The ceremony was well attended, also by visitors from abroad. Since the representatives preferred to sit in the back seat on the main floor, ordinary visitors were invited to occupy the front seats. Overall, the event was a great success, and more Bitcoin events in the Bundestag are in the pipeline. Although cameras were not allowed during the main event, after a few exclusive moments he allowed select opinions to be captured on camera.
Joanna Kottar is the founder of the “Bitcoin im Bundestag” initiative. As an independent party parliamentarian, she has the honor of putting Bitcoin on the agenda, for example, during discussions on the introduction of the digital euro. As a party member, this was not possible.
However, her previous affiliation with the right-wing Alternative for Germany party also poses challenges. In German politics, guilt by association is a powerful mechanism, and no party is willing to cooperate with the AfD. It creates a political vacuum and has led to debates within the Berlin Bitcoin community. According to her, it is a good idea to remind ourselves that Bitcoin is apolitical, uncensored and free money, and even your worst enemy can use it.
Also in the German Parliament, Bitcoin is a bottom-up movement, and according to Joanna Kottar, the MPs' staff plays a crucial role in getting the topic on the agenda. They work long hours with MPs, and are often consciously encouraged by German parliamentarians to explore new topics.
In the following interview, Joanna Kotard offers unprecedented insights into the workings of German politics. It discusses the free access to banking lobbies in the German Parliament, their powerful influence on MPs, and outlines concrete demands such as making Bitcoin legal, allowing self-custody, promoting sustainable Bitcoin mining, and urging opposition to the introduction of the digital currency. euro.
This is a guest post by Danielle Van Hiel. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
