Welcome to Bärlin: How a Greens from Holzkirchen experienced his first Bundestag session

Now a Holzkirchner is involved in federal politics: Karl Bär (36) took part in the constituent session of the new Bundestag as a member of the Green parliamentary group.

The newcomer stood out with a colorful face mask, took a selfie with a celebrity and is already sniffing coalition talks.

Holzkirchen / Berlin

- Will he be the first member of the Bundestag from Holzkirchen? “Phew, I'm completely overwhelmed. I think so, "says Karl Bär on the cell phone. The constituent session of the 20th German Bundestag is about to begin. 736 MPs, 282 newcomers - the Green from Holzkirchen is one of them. The district is now represented by two MPs in Berlin, not just by Alexander Radwan (57) from Rottach, who won the direct mandate for the CSU. Bear slipped over the state list of the Greens in the Bundestag.

And now, on this memorable October 26th, the Holzkirchner is standing at the entrance to the plenary hall in the historic Reichstag building. During the roll call earlier in the parliamentary group, he dutifully shouted "Here". The 19 Bavarians are the strongest state group after North Rhine-Westphalia. "We are one more than Baden-Württemberg," says Bär, not without pride.

Before going to the plenary session, the newcomer to the Bundestag queues to sign, “to document that I attended the session”.

He's not the first bear in the house.

Dorothee Bär (CSU) was there before him, since 2002. When he signed, he noticed that he was listed alphabetically between Doro Bär and Annalena Baerbock, his party leader.

It is 10.30 a.m., in half an hour, Bär's federal political career will formally begin.

“A solemn moment,” he says into the cell phone, “already different from the parliamentary group meetings so far.” Then he has to hang up, “I have to go in now.”

Selfie with Robert Habeck

There is no space reserved for him in the plenary hall.

Only the chairs of the group leaders are assigned by name.

"We have free choice of seats," Bär reported earlier.

Can he send a selfie from the hall?

“Let's take a look is supposedly not allowed.” Shortly afterwards, he did send pictures.

"The rule seems to have outlived itself, everyone is taking pictures here," he says.

His mask shines in the rainbow colors, a statement for the diversity of the lifestyle of lesbians and gays.

Co-party leader Robert Habeck stops for a selfie with the MP from Holzkirchen.

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Selfie with Robert Habeck: Karl Bär shortly before his first session as a member of the Bundestag.

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Bär will rarely see a fully occupied parliament like yesterday at the constituent session.

“Political work is carried out in the committees and bodies,” emphasizes the 36-year-old.

Yesterday, however, he was challenged in the plenum: In the election of Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and her deputy, each member was called by name to go to the ballot box.

Bär would like a seat on the Agriculture Committee

While the new Bundestag only officially started its work yesterday, the formation of a government has been going on for weeks. The young MP from Holzkirchen also sniffs a little in the coalition talks of the possible traffic light partners (SPD, Greens, FDP). The Greens sent 96 representatives to the 22 working groups. Bär is "marginally involved" in the agriculture negotiation group, in which Renate Künast, Harald Ebner (Baden-Württemberg), EU parliamentarians Martin Häusling and Priska Hinz (Environment Minister Hesse) negotiate for the Greens. As part of another group in the background, Bär is kept up to date on the conversations. "We give feedback," says the Holzkirchner.

Bär later wants to apply for a seat on a committee that deals with "his" topic of agriculture.

“It is very important that at the end of this legislative period there is much, much less injection.” He considers the exploratory formulation “limit it to a necessary level” to be too vague.

He hopes a “pesticide levy” will have a more steering effect, affordable per hectare.

Bär will soon be moving into a shared apartment in Berlin.

Every other week he made a visit to his home country.

Yesterday, right after the meeting, he was on the train going south to work on the constituency presence.

"I'll be opening my constituency office in Holzkirchen next week."