View of the Library of the German Bundestag © German Bundestag

The Research Services are part of the Research and External Relations Directorate-General, one of the four directorates-general of the Administration of the German Bundestag. There are 11 research sections in the Research Services, which support Members’ political work in parliament and the constituencies by supplying specialist information, analyses and expert opinions. The topics covered by the research sections encompass the whole spectrum of legal and policy fields.

In carrying out their work, the research sections draw in particular on the sources gathered and thematically catalogued by the divisions responsible for documentation activities. These include, most prominently, the Library, the Parliamentary Archives and the Subject and Speakers’ Indexes, whose services are also used by Members of the German Bundestag, journalists and academic researchers.

The International Relations Directorate and the Petitions and Submissions Directorate also belong to the Research and External Relations Directorate-General.