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Vaccination obligation debate in the Bundestag: what actually is a group application?

2022-01-14T14:47:14.849Z


As with previous ethical issues, the Bundestag will not decide on vaccination along party lines. Instead, the deputies work out group applications across camps. What does that mean?


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The German Bundestag

Photo:

Felix Zahn / photo library / IMAGO

What is a group application?

A group motion is usually a motion or a draft law that has been developed by a group of individual members of the Bundestag from different parliamentary groups and is submitted to the plenary for a vote.

Such motions are made across camp boundaries and are rather the exception in everyday parliamentary business.

Most legislative initiatives come from the federal government, but many also come from the Bundesrat or from one or more factions of the governing coalition or the opposition.

The Bundestag's rules of procedure do not make any explicit provisions for group motions.

In general, however, drafts, which include draft laws or motions, must be submitted by at least one parliamentary group or by five percent of the MPs - that would currently be 37 MPs.

What are group applications for?

Cross-party group motions are often the way to enact legislation on the larger socially controversial issues of the time, such as regulations on abortion or euthanasia.

In a broader sense, it is about more complicated "questions of conscience or worldview" that can also decide about life and death.

The laws are to be created accordingly from the middle of parliament in non-partisan cooperation.

The actual motions and votes are usually preceded by one or more orientation debates, and the process can take months or even years.

It is also not uncommon for several different group proposals to be submitted on one topic.

The leaders of the parliamentary group can propose in advance that group discipline be lifted so that each member of parliament can decide according to his or her conscience.

The passionate debates leading up to the votes are often seen as the "great moment of democracy".

What important votes have there been after group motions in the past?

Accordingly, cross-party group applications often come about with great public attention.

This is also the case with the following votes in the Bundestag.

Many are still considered historic today, for example:

  • Assisted suicide :

    After several controversial debates on assisted suicide, MEPs were due to vote on four cross-party group motions in November 2015. The spectrum ranged from a complete ban on assisting doctors, associations and family members to a liberalization of medical or non-commercial assisted suicide. In the end, the parliamentarians decided in favor of the motion with the most signatories and thus for allowing assisted suicide only under very narrow conditions and criminalizing commercial assisted suicide. In 2020, however, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the ban unconstitutional and underlined the right to self-determined dying.

  • Pre- implantation diagnostics (PGD):

    In April 2011, the Bundestag discussed three intergroup motions on the medical procedure of pre-implantation diagnostics (PGD), in which an embryo created using artificial insemination is genetically tested before it is placed in the uterus. The bills were put to the vote on July 7 after three and a half hours of debate. According to this, PGD should only be permitted in exceptional cases in the future, for example if there is a risk of a serious hereditary disease or stillbirth or miscarriage.

  • Abortions:

    In the summer of 1992, the members of parliament passionately debated one of the most sensational group motions in the Bundestag: After reunification, paragraph 218 on criminal liability for abortions had to be amended.

    The SPD and FDP submitted a cross-party motion for a so-called deadline solution, which was also supported by individual members of the Greens, PDS and even the CDU.

    According to this, a termination within twelve weeks with a mandatory consultation should be permitted in principle.

    The application was accepted last night.

    However, the regulation was overturned by the Federal Constitutional Court.

    An amended law only came into force in 1995.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-01-14

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