Berlin In the debate about the general compulsory vaccination, the pressure on the traffic light government to come up with a timetable is growing. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) criticized the foreseeable delay. The prime ministers had asked the federal government and the Bundestag to present a schedule before Christmas, said Kretschmann on Tuesday in Stuttgart.
“That has not happened so far. I am dissatisfied with the whole process. ”He does not see that the debate on the compulsory vaccination in the Bundestag is getting underway quickly. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will not be able to keep his announcement to introduce compulsory vaccinations at the end of February. “I don’t see that as realistic anymore. We lose a lot of time, ”complained Kretschmann.
The federal and state governments originally wanted to flatten the Omikron wave with a quick decision on compulsory vaccination before it hits Germany with full force like other countries. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had spoken in November that he would like vaccinations to be compulsory by the beginning of February or March. Experts expect the Omikron wave to peak around this time.
Measures such as access and contact restrictions are currently helping to delay the spread of the highly contagious Omikron variant. Although the number of infections is still lower than in other European countries, they are rising sharply again. The procedure now envisaged by the traffic light, however, makes a quick decision unlikely. At most, the compulsory vaccination could have an impact on the course of the pandemic in autumn, it is now said.
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Union does not want to submit its own application
The Bundestag is expected to decide on a possible law in a free vote without parliamentary group discipline. At the weekend, politicians from the SPD and the Greens in the federal government dampened expectations that there could be a swift decision in the Bundestag. Kretschmann said that the Bundestag had just chosen the procedure to introduce the mandatory vaccination into parliament through group motions. “What I can’t understand is that it takes so long. The virus does not take this into account. “
The opposition Union also urged the traffic light parties to find a quick solution, but does not want to submit its own motion. The parliamentary group is currently not working on such a draft law and also not on an application for the Bundestag, said the parliamentary manager of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU). He thus rejected statements to the contrary by the CSU health politician Stephan Pilsinger, who announced an application by the Union for a general compulsory vaccination for people aged 50 and over.
Frei also emphasized that the Union parliamentary group would not take over the work of the government. “If the federal government is of the opinion that compulsory vaccination is a means to get out of this pandemic, then it must also submit a legislative proposal for this.” Parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU) offered the Ampel government discussions about compulsory vaccination.
The FDP, however, rejected the urging for a quick vaccination requirement. “We do not have unlimited time to decide on the subject of mandatory vaccination. But we have a certain amount of time, ”said parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr on Tuesday in Berlin. A “well-founded decision” is more important to him. Dürr emphasized: “From our point of view, the whole thing is a medical-ethical question and not a party-political one.” He himself does not have a fixed position.
Dürr said he did not want to be tied to a specific week of meetings for a vote. But: “If you come to a decision in the first quarter, then I don’t see any problem in implementing it to the point where it would be effective in the fall. I think that is completely feasible. ”The FDP parliamentary group leader emphasized that compulsory vaccination is not a means against the current Omikron wave anyway, because it would come too late for it in any case.
Austria as a “warning example”
The only application so far for a general vaccination requirement from the ranks of the traffic lights comes from the Liberals and speaks out against the regulation. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also claims that he is preparing an application as a member of the Bundestag.
The health ministers called for a quick solution. “We have the request that it goes as quickly as possible, we are losing the necessary time here,” said the chairwoman of the health ministerial conference and minister in Saxony-Anhalt, Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD), after a switching conference of the committee on Monday evening. There are still different positions on the question of whether a vaccination register should be introduced.
The Green Group Vice President Maria Klein-Schmeink, however, spoke out against making the general compulsory vaccination subject to such a register. “Personally, I advocate a way of making vaccination compulsory that poses as few hurdles as possible,” said Klein-Schmeink to the Handelsblatt. “One such hurdle would be a vaccination register.” The experience in Austria is “a warning example”. A vaccination register is technically very complex and at the same time a very lengthy process.
Austria plans to introduce the general compulsory vaccination at the beginning of February. However, the proposed law had caused a flood of critical comments. “In addition, I consider compulsory vaccination from adulthood to be sensible, which is associated with rather low-threshold sanctions,” said Klein-Schmeink.
“It’s not about compulsory vaccination, where someone is physically forced to vaccinate or high penalties are imposed.” Failure to comply could be punished, for example, with a fine. “I have little hope that an expansion of the job-related compulsory vaccination – for example to teachers, the fire brigade and the police – can be implemented much faster than the general compulsory vaccination.”
Meanwhile, a large majority of the population was in favor of a general vaccination requirement. A survey by RTL / N-TV showed that 70 percent of German citizens are in favor. This roughly corresponds to the rate of those who were completely vaccinated. In Germany, 72 percent of people received a second vaccination, 43.5 are considered “boosted”.
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