Söder and Co. in the "beauty contest": the doctor wants Merkel back - and warns of a serious corona error

The federal states at odds, the plans of Olaf Scholz "ineffective hodgepodge"? Politicians face corona problems. A doctor wants more Merkel and less Söder.

• The last week of May brought a break in German corona policy - the countries took the helm in the pandemic.
• A well-known medical doctor is concerned about the development. He wants to see Chancellor Angela Merkel again in charge.
• At the same time, the GroKo is arguing about the right economic aid. The FDP is horrified by the plans.

Corona policy in Germany: doctor chief criticizes easing - and "beauty contest" of the countries

For example, the chair of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery , calls for more uniformity in the corona rules in Germany. "The federal government should again take over the management and crisis management," he told the Passauer Neue Presse on Saturday (article behind payment barrier). "We have to return to uniform rules and stop making different rules in each state."

"We need to loosen more slowly than is currently happening," Montgomery said. "The beauty contest of the prime ministers, who are now outbidding themselves with easing measures , is unfortunate." In this way, the public is given the impression that the pandemic is already over and everything is good again.

Merkel throws in the towel in corona crisis - "Prime Ministers are part of the problem, not the solution"

"By the end of March, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Health Minister Jens Spahn had led the crisis through excellently. It wasn't until the Prime Ministers took over and the competition between Mr. Laschet * and Mr. Söder started that things got chaotic. " 

If there are no national guidelines, it will become confusing and dangerous, according to the CEO of the World Medical Association. "The prime ministers are more part of the problem and not the solution." In fact, there are obviously new easing plans in Söders Free State of Bavaria, as Merkur.de * reports.

Corona crisis: Controversy also in Merkel's GroKo - Scheuer is advancing with a proposal

Meanwhile, the coalition committee wants to tie down a billion-dollar stimulus package on Tuesday next week , which is supposed to get Germany's economy out of the Corona hole. However, the focus is heavily fought over.

Transport minister Andreas Scheuer, who is badly hit by scandals, also wants to promote rail traffic, road construction and digital infrastructure, according to a media report. The CSU politician is proposing a 28 billion euro package “Investment future mobility”, the newspapers of the Funke media group reported. 

Corona measures: paper leaked from Ministry of Finance - FDP is "disappointed"

FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr demanded a "big hit" from the federal government. This applies to relief as well as investments in education, digitization and infrastructure , Dürr told the German Press Agency. 

An internal paper from the finance department called Dürr a bitter disappointment. This is about help for families, municipalities and the economy. A one-time bonus of EUR 300 per child is proposed for child benefit to relieve families and strengthen purchasing power. The proposals are a smorgasbord of ineffective individual measures that cost a lot of money, said the FDP politician.

As the Spiegel reported, Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to propose a follow-up program for the 50 billion euro aid for small businesses and solo self-employed. In particular, the hospitality industry, travel agencies, event logistics and the trade fair industry should benefit from this. Private households should also be relieved of the EEG surcharge to promote green electricity.

Coronavirus: SPD warns of "anti-social Merz course" - internal ministry paper angered FDP

SPD general secretary Lars Klingbeil warned the Union against trying to implement an "anti-social Merz course". "After weeks of working together, the differences to the Union are becoming clear again," said Klingbeil on Friday, Zeit Online . The first thing the Union can think of to stimulate the economy is to "cut the minimum wage and eliminate the solos for the super-rich too." "It will be tough negotiations until next week," he said.

Either way: Merkel announced on Saturday a package that focuses on innovation and sustainability. "In the next week, we will adopt an economic stimulus package to help the economy regain its footing and grow," said the Chancellor. "The art will be to do that in such a way that we give innovation and sustainable management a boost at the same time, that we also become strong in future fields."

There was keen criticism from various sides about demands from the auto industry for a purchase premium for new cars - even CDU representatives warned of concessions to the “lobby”.

dpa / fn

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.