Brandenburg State Parliament auctions off selected gifts from foreign guests

Background: Guest gifts and parliamentary practice

According to the parliament, the background to the auction is the customary practice of disposing of gifts from foreign delegations that exceed a certain value in favor of the state coffers once a retention period has elapsed. The proceeds flow into the state budget. The parliament provided no information on the expected total value of the lots.

Among the past hosts who presented gifts to the parliament in Potsdam over the years are numerous international contacts, including those with Kazakhstan. The delegation from which the items now being auctioned originate was not broken down in detail. According to parliamentary records, one of Brandenburg's earlier prominent visitors was Gyula Horn, the former Hungarian Prime Minister, who visited in the 1990s and likewise presented the parliament with a guest gift.

Procedure and modalities of the auction

The auction will be conducted via a commercial provider on the internet. Interested parties can submit bids online; an on-site viewing of the lots is not planned, according to the parliament. The parliament pointed out that bidders, by submitting their bid, simultaneously accept the authenticity of the items, as expert prior examination has not taken place in every case.

State parliament member Louis Leßmann had publicly raised the topic of the auction and pointed to the unusual character of the collection. He emphasized that the guest gifts are testimonies to Brandenburg's international relations, even though many of the items are of a more decorative nature.

Political accompaniment of the auction

According to the parliament, no new acquisitions are to be financed with the proceeds of the auction. The money will flow, as is usual with such disposals, into the general budget of the state. A precise date for the start of the auction was not initially given; the lots are expected to be visible online in the coming days.

The auction also throws a spotlight on the parliamentary custom of not keeping guest gifts permanently in the state parliament. Brandenburg thereby follows the example of other state parliaments and the Bundestag, which sell off similar collections at regular intervals.

Overall, it was further stated by the parliament, the auction is not aimed at a complete sell-off of the collection. Rather, a selected portion of the objects gathered over the years is to find new owners, while other pieces will remain in the parliament's archive.