Political advocacy

We stand for political advocacy based on ethical principles and legal requirements. At Deutsche Telekom, we are committed to the core interests of our company in relation to our business models and operational concerns in a variety of ways. In addition, the focus is also on topics such as digital innovations or the interaction of climate protection and digitalization. In doing so, we always act in accordance with our values and guidelines.

We deal with our consumer policy commitment separately under Consumer protection here in the CR report. We address other stakeholder groups such as employees and investors in our Sustainability Statement.

Our approach

As a matter of principle, all employees are required to comply with our existing Group guidelines. The following requirements apply in particular to employees in the field of political advocacy:

• Principles for donations in the political sphere
• Acceptance and Granting of Benefits Policy
• Anti-Corruption and Other Conflicts of Interest Policy
• Consultant Policy
• Sponsoring Policy
• Donation Policy

This overall set of rules forms the basis for open, transparent and legally compliant political representation of interests.

Values and instruments for political representation

When working in parliaments, governments and social organizations, objective communication, competence, credibility and integrity are important to us. In our Code of Conduct, we have stipulated that our partners in politics, associations and other social groups must maintain their independence and integrity. Donations to political institutions, parties and elected officials, for example, are prohibited.

Deutsche Telekom is registered in the EU public transparency register for interest representatives. In Germany, we have been registered in the lobby register for the representation of interests vis-à-vis the German Bundestag and the Federal Government since its introduction. As part of our participation in associations and corresponding committees, we are of course committed to complying with all ethical principles and legal requirements.

Central topics for our advocacy in 2024:

• Fiber-optic and 5G expansion
• Public safety/resilience and cybersecurity
• European and sovereign cloud ecosystem
• Platform regulation
• Green ICT
• Fair Share (fair cost distribution in grid expansion)
• Artificial intelligence
• Future of Digital Network Infrastructure
• EU Taxonomy

Transparency on lobbying expenditures

Through membership fees and donations, we support associations and other associations, for example, financially. So far, there is no overarching definition of lobbying expenditure. That is why we publish our lobbying expenditures in accordance with the applicable transparency requirements:

• In Germany at the federal level (in accordance with the Act on the Introduction of a Lobby Register for the Representation of Interests vis-à-vis the German Bundestag and the Federal Government [Lobbyregister Act – LobbyRG]) and
• in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria (in accordance with the Transparency Register Act [TReg] in Baden-Württemberg and in accordance with the Bavarian Lobby Register Act [BayLobbyRG]),
• in Brussels (in accordance with the “Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register”) and
• in Washington for T‑Mobile US (pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act [LDA]).

An overview of our lobbying expenses in 2024 can be found on our

website

Support for associations

Active participation in associations is a central component of our representation of interests. Therefore, membership fees for top, professional and industry associations make up the largest share of our expenditure in this area. In the following overview, we transparently show our highest premium payments over the last three years:

Our commitment to an open Internet

We are committed to the EU regulations for an open internet. In order to cope with the rapidly growing data traffic and enable innovation, we are constantly expanding our infrastructure. This will enable us to meet the increasing demand for high-quality services and meet the expectations of online content and application providers.

Together with other telecommunications companies, we offer the latest network architecture nationwide – 5G networks – which better and more flexibly maps the different transmission quality requirements of specific services. In this way, we meet the expectations of business and politics and promote innovation in the services offered via our networks. There is no control of content. In the future, we will continue to rely on cooperation with competitors for services with guaranteed quality features.

Our contribution to the EU Green Deal

The telecommunications industry can use innovative technologies and modern digital infrastructure to promote sustainable solutions and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this way, telecommunications companies can contribute to achieving the goals of the EU’s Green Deal. Our ambitious climate targets support the principles of the Green Deal. We are continuously investing in network expansion and enabling the development of a resilient infrastructure – the basis for digital solutions to protect the climate. We are also constantly improving the energy and resource efficiency of our grids and data centers and are working on circular products. Further information can be found here in the CR report under Environmentally friendly products and services.

Looking ahead

Our political commitment to a more sustainable, digital future is characterized by transparency and integrity. We are committed to becoming the world’s leading digital and sustainable telecommunications company. Together with other stakeholders, we have the opportunity to drive technological change and answer important questions for the future of ecology, economy and society.