Secret protection order of the German Bundestag (Annex 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag, BGBl. I 1980, 1237)

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BTGO1980Anl 3

Date of completion: 25.06.1980

Full quote:

" The secret protection order of the German Bundestag (Annex 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag, BGBl. I 1980, 1237) of 25 June 1980 (BGBl. 1237, 1256), most recently by decision d. Bundestag of 28 February 2013 has been amended "

Status:

Last amended by decision d. Bundestag (Bundestag) v. 28.2.2013 gem. Bek. v. 12.3.2013 I 548

For more details, please refer to the menu under Notes

Footnote

(+ + + Text evidence from: 1.10.1980 + + +) 
(+ + + Text of the Rules of Procedure see: BTGO 1980 + + +) 

  

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§ 1 Scope

(1) This secret protection order shall apply to cases of closure (VS) which are created within the Bundestag or which have been forwarded to the Bundestag, to its committees or to members of the Bundestag. The rules applicable to the committees shall apply to other bodies established by the Bundestag and/or the Bundestag. (2) VS are matters of all kinds, which must be protected by special security measures against the knowledge of unauthorised persons. (3) VS can all forms of presentation of knowledge and knowledge. Intermediate material (e.g. preliminary drafts, recordings on sound carriers, stencils, carbon paper, stencils, misprints, etc. also erasure paper) should be treated like a VS. Unofficial table of contents

§ 2 Confidentiality

(1) VS shall be classified in the following classification levels, depending on the protection of which they are required:

TOP SECRET	Abbreviation: str. H.
GEHEIM	Abbreviation: geh.
VS-CONFIDENTIAL	Abbreviation: VS-Vertr.
VS-ONLY FOR THE
SERVICE USE	Abbreviation: VS-NfD.

(2) VS, whose knowledge by unauthorised persons would endanger the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its countries, shall be classified as STRICTLY SECRET. VS shall be deemed to be the subject of the security of the Federal Republic of Germany, the knowledge of which by unauthorized persons shall be deemed to be the security of the Federal Republic of Germany or any of its countries would cause serious damage to their interests or their prestige or would be of great benefit to a foreign country. (4) VS-CONFIDENTIAL shall be classified as VS, the knowledge of which shall be Unauthorised persons to the interests or prestige of the Federal Republic of Germany or of one of its countries may be detrimental or beneficial to a foreign state. (5) VS, which are not subject to the classification STRICTLY SECRET, SECRET or VS-CONFIDENTIAL, but are not intended for the public, shall receive the classification VS-ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE SERVICE. Protocols relating to non-public meetings of the committees (Section 69 (1) sentence 1 of the GO-BT) are, in principle, no cases of closure within the meaning of the Bundestag's secret protection order (§ 73 GO-BT). (6) The identification of VS shall be carried out under appropriate conditions. Application of the statement of closure for the federal authorities. Unofficial table of contents

§ 2a Private Secrets

(1) As GEHEIM may also be classified important business, operational, inventor, tax or other private secrets or circumstances of the personal life area, the knowledge of which by unauthorised persons shall cause serious damage to the righthed (2) CONFIDENTIAL may be considered to be the secrets or circumstances referred to in paragraph 1, the knowledge of which could be detrimental to the interest of the righthold by unauthorized persons. Unofficial table of contents

§ 3 Election and amendment of classification

(1) Only the strictly necessary use of secret classification shall be made. VS are not to be classified higher than their content requires. (2) The classification level of the VS shall determine the issuing body. It shall notify the addressee of the change or cancellation of the degree of classification of an VS in writing. (3) The issuing body within the meaning of paragraph 2 shall be the issuing body of VS, which shall be created within the Bundestag,

a)

the President,

b)

the chairmen of the committees,

c)

other posts authorised by the President.

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Section 3a The inspection of classified information

Classified information of the classification strictly secret or secret can only be viewed in the rooms of the secret registry. By way of derogation, classified information may be issued to members of committees of inquiry, as well as to bodies regularly kept secret on the basis of a legal basis, for inspection in their office premises, provided that such information is provided with: VS-depositaries have been provided and the classified information has been forwarded to the Bundestag for the purpose of the application of this body. The second sentence shall apply to persons authorised to do so by the President. Unofficial table of contents

§ 4 Knowledge and dissemination of a VS

(1) The contents of a VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher classification VS shall not be subject to more comprehensive and earlier information than is indispensable for reasons of parliamentary work. (2) In the context of paragraph 1, a member of the Bundestag, which has been made available to a VS of the classification VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher, shall inform other members of the Bundestag thereof. (3) Group employees and employees of members of the Bundestag shall be allowed to Level of secrecy VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher in this frame only accessible If they are authorised by the President to deal with VS and are formally obliged to maintain secrecy. Sentence 1 shall apply to an investigative officer in accordance with § 10 of the Committee of Inquiry and his assistants. (4) Other persons shall be entitled to the VS-CONFIDENTIAL classification and above only with the approval of the issuing body. when they are authorized to deal with VS and are formally obliged to keep secret. Unofficial table of contents

§ 5 Long-distance calls via VS

On matters of classification VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher, long-distance calls may only be carried out in exceptional and urgent cases. In such cases, the discussions should be so cautious that the facts will not be understood by third parties. If the interlocutor cannot be identified with certainty, a call for control is required. Unofficial table of contents

§ 6 Manufacture of duplicates

The recipient of VS-CONFIDENTIAL and above shall be allowed to produce further copies (copies, prints, clearings and the like) as well as extracts only from the secret registry; for VS of the classification STRENG GEHEIM also requires the approval of the issuing body. They are to be treated like the original VS. Unofficial table of contents

§ 7 Treatment of VS in committees

(1) The committees may decide on a degree of confidentiality for an item of advice or for parts of it (Article 69 (7) of the CRP). Where VS-CONFIDENTIAL and above are discussed by VS, the Chairman shall immediately bring the decision in question at the same meeting and shall establish, before the start of the deliberations, that no unauthorised persons shall be present in the (2) Only the decisions may be logged during deliberations on STRICTLY SECRET or GEHEIM matters. The Committee may decide that the deliberations shall be held in accordance with the content, in which case it shall decide on the circulation and distribution of the minutes. (3) A protocol may be drawn up in the case of deliberations on VS-CONFIDENTIAL matters. paragraph 2, second sentence, second half-sentence shall apply accordingly. However, the Committee may decide that only the decisions are to be held. (4) Where VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher classification shall be sent to a committee, they shall be issued only in the sitting and at the longest for the duration of the latter. In the event of an interruption of the session, the return can be prevented if the inspection of the meeting room is ensured by the house inspection. The chairman of the committee may decide that VS shall be kept confidential by the committee's rapporteurs and, in special cases, by other members of the committee until the committee's deliberations are concluded on the basis of the committee's advisory opinions. Subject to which the VS relates, issued and kept in the permissible VS-containers. (5) For VS of the classification VS-CONFIDENTIAL, the Committee may decide otherwise in the cases of paragraph 4. (6) VS of the Secrecy levels VS-CONFIDENTIAL and SECRET can, if they have been created in the Committee , with the authorisation of the chairman of the committee after registration in the secret registry, are temporarily stored in the designated VS containers of the committee. They shall be returned to the secret registry as soon as they are no longer needed in the Committee. (7) If only in the course of or at the end of the deliberations it is clear that the deliberations shall be deemed to be VS-CONFIDENTIAL or above, the Committee may the necessary security measures are subsequently adopted. Unofficial table of contents

§ 8 Registration and administration of VS

(1) If VS-CONFIDENTIAL or later are forwarded to the Bundestag, its committees or members of the Bundestag, they shall, in principle, be forwarded to the Bundestag, its committees or members of the Bundestag, insofar as they have not been led via the secret registry. Registration and administration. (2) The VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher levels of secrecy arising in the Bundestag are also to be forwarded to the secret registry for registration and administration. (3) The receipt of VS des Degree of confidentiality VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher shall be confirmed in writing. (4) VS of the Secrecy-grade VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher shall be kept in the secret registry or the rooms designated for this purpose by the President. (5) VS of the classification VS-ONLY FOR THE USE OF SERVICE shall be kept under closure; this is not necessary if they are kept in rooms to which outsiders do not have access. Unofficial table of contents

§ 9 Destruction of VS

VS including the intermediate material arising in the Bundestag, if they are no longer required, are to be forwarded to the secret registry. To the extent that the VS are not to be kept, they are destroyed by the secret registry. Unofficial table of contents

§ 10 forwarding of VS

(1) VS of the classification STRICTLY SECRET and GEHEIM are to be guided in principle via the secret registry during transport within the house. They may only be forwarded by duly authorised persons. If, for urgent reasons, a hand-to-hand handover is made, the secret registry is to be subsequently informed. (2) VS of the classification VS-CONFIDENTIAL can be hand-hand-hand-to-hand on the basis of notification of the secret registry. (3) The sending of VS of the classification VS-CONFIDENTIAL and higher shall be made by the secret registry in accordance with the provisions of the closure statement for the federal authorities. Unofficial table of contents

Section 11 Taking of VS

(1) The participation of VS of the classification STRICTLY SECRET and GEHEIM from the rooms under the administration of the Bundestag is inadmissible. The President may allow it to be taken if there are injustifiable reasons for this. At the same time, it determines how the VS are to be transported. (2) When the VS-CONFIDENTIAL is taken along with VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher, it is necessary to ensure uninterrupted safekeeping. If the classification STRICTLY SECRET or GEHEIM does not have a steel cabinet with combination and safety lock available, the owner must keep the VS constantly. The use of a motor vehicle, the safekeeping in hotel safes or at railway stations and the like is inadmissible. In the case of a stay abroad, the VS is to be kept at the German representations. (3) In the public, VS may not be read and discussed at the confidential level of VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher. Unofficial table of contents

§ 12 obligation to provide information

Any suspicion, perception or incident which indicates that unauthorised persons have received knowledge of the contents of VS, as well as the loss of VS of the levels of confidentiality, any perception or incident which may result from attempts to initiate a communication service or an incident. VS-CONFIDENTIAL or higher or the loss of security keys shall be communicated immediately to the President or the Secret Protection Officer of the administration of the German Bundestag. Unofficial table of contents

Section 13 Implementing provisions

The President is empowered to adopt implementing provisions.