A committee of inquiry should clarify whether the nuclear phase-out was really examined with an open mind. The Union has so far named more than 500 witnesses. A controversial tactic.
The witness list is already full at the start. Five people are scheduled to testify today before the parliamentary committee of inquiry in the Bundestag. The crucial question: Have Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke examined the continued operation of nuclear power plants in 2022 with an open mind? Or did they ignore objections in their ministries and make an ideological decision?
In order to clarify this accusation, several speakers from the Ministry of the Environment and a department head from the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management will first testify. The committee follows a usual procedure: first, ordinary employees are summoned, then later the management level and the ministers.
Von Notz: “Very surprised” about the number of witnesses
Nevertheless, the witness lists are already causing discussions. The Union alone has so far named more than 500 witnesses for the committee. “We were very surprised about that,” says Konstantin von Notz (Greens). The CDU and CSU have already named ten times as many witnesses as they can actually invite and hear.
The problem: The investigative committee must be completed within this legislative period – i.e. at the latest in just under a year before the next federal election. In practice, the committee has even significantly less time available. Due to Parliament’s long summer break, it can be assumed that the committee will have to be largely completed by late spring next year.
Even compared to other investigative committees, such a large number of witnesses is unusual. The committee on the withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from Afghanistan interviewed around 50 people in twelve months.
“We said there were simply too many witnesses,” says von Notz. Because of course the other parties also want to name their own witnesses.
Union wants “broad process”
In an interview with the ARD capital studio The Union defends its approach: “We submitted an application to the ministries in July to find out which people were actually involved,” says Andreas Lenz (CSU). “But this application was rejected.”
The Union therefore initially wants to identify those responsible in a “broad process”. “It’s clear that we won’t be summoning hundreds of people to the committee, but rather we’ll select those who are most hopeful,” says Lenz. He assumes that around 50 witnesses will ultimately be able to testify.
It seems certain that the committee’s witness lists will change. Although 511 people have been named so far (510 of them from the Union), Ministers Habeck and Lemke are not yet listed. In addition, it seems certain that Chancellor Scholz will also be summoned before the committee.