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Corona crisis: FDP calls for a special session in the Bundestag

2021-01-17T17:19:56.047Z


The federal and state governments will discuss possible tightening of the corona measures on Tuesday. The FDP parliamentary group wants to have a say - and is calling for a special session of the Bundestag.


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FDP parliamentary group chairman Christian Lindner in the Bundestag: "Parliamentary advice on corona measures is a concern of all parliamentary groups"

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

The FDP asks the Bundestag for support for a special meeting next Tuesday - before the upcoming federal-state meeting, in which possible tightened measures in the corona crisis are to be discussed.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) should first inform the Bundestag about a changed pandemic situation and new restrictions on fundamental rights, demand FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Lindner and the First Parliamentary Managing Director Marco Buschmann.

The meeting of Merkel and the heads of government of the countries was brought forward by almost a week in view of the tense situation.

This time, among other things, advice should be given to further narrowing the partially existing 15-kilometer exit radius, an obligation to wear better protective FFP2 masks and ways to encourage companies to offer more home office options.

The FDP sees the Bundestag not involved enough.

"It must be explained in Parliament on which data basis tightening should take place, how their effectiveness is and which alternatives can be considered", it says in a letter.

This went to the leadership of the CDU / CSU, SPD, Greens and Left parties, but not to the AfD.

Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) was also informed.

"The corona deliberations of the federal and state governments will also take place in the coming week behind closed doors and without parliamentary participation," says the letter that is available to the German Press Agency in Berlin.

"We Free Democrats in the German Bundestag consider this approach to be inadequate for the people and their representatives." Fighting the corona pandemic is a national task.

It is based on trust in the institutions as well as in the transparency and appropriateness of the decisions made.

"This must not be gambled away."

The parliamentary advice on the corona measures must be a concern of all parliamentary groups, Lindner told Bild am Sonntag, "regardless of whether it is government or opposition." He considers night curfews in particular to be disproportionate: "Under no circumstances should they be passed without referring to the Bundestag According to the Basic Law and the rules of procedure of the Bundestag, a special session of parliament would have to be called if at least a third of the members of the parliament request it.

That would be 236 MPs.

The FDP only has 80 members.

The weak role of the Bundestag in the decisions on the corona measures has been discussed for some time.

Because the federal and state governments intervene deeply in the basic rights with the restrictions.

The executive branch, as the legislative branch, initially takes the decisions out of the hands of the parliament.

Political groups in the Bundestag, including the FDP and the SPD, therefore called for the measures to be better safeguarded before the courts, including with parliamentary procedures.

The result was the third Civil Protection Act, which was supposed to strengthen the role of the Bundestag again.

Greens do not consider additional special meeting necessary

The FDP did not get any support from the Union for a short-term special meeting, nor did the Greens: "We consider special meetings of the committees for health and economy to be urgently needed in the next week," said the First Parliamentary Director of the Green Group, Britta Haßelmann.

"At the beginning of the next week of session, the Bundestag must deal with the topic in public in the plenary and discuss expectations, recommendations and conclusions."

But: "This would enable MPs to be informed and discussed at short notice without the Bundestag meeting in Berlin for an additional two hours at short notice." Her group had already requested the special meetings of the committees at the end of last week, Haßelmann continued.

She appeals to the Union and the SPD to join this proposal.

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abl / dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-01-17

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