German Corona Policy
This is how EU countries look at vaccination requirements
Karl Lauterbach, SPD member of the Bundestag and Federal Minister of Health, speaks at the orientation debate on compulsory SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in the Bundestag. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa
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compulsory yes or no? The Bundestag debated this for hours. Minister of Health Lauterbach says: “We have to act.” In a number of other EU countries, this is much more relaxed.
Ursula von der Leyen wanted a debate about compulsory corona vaccination – and got the debate. At least in Germany. There, the Bundestag has just weighed the pros and cons of a general obligation to vaccinate.
But in many other EU countries – even those with significantly lower vaccination rates – this discussion is not on the agenda. So are the opponents of compulsory vaccination right? Is Germany taking an unnecessary special path?
It was early December when EU Commission President von der Leyen joined the debate. A decision on whether to vaccinate is a matter for the EU countries. But it is appropriate to have this debate now. In Germany, where top politicians from all parties had long ruled out such a move, the tide was just turning. Increasing numbers of cases, a new variant and an insufficient vaccination rate made some people rethink.
“We have to take action”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was still designated at the time, also changed his mind and promised general vaccination by the beginning of March at the latest. The schedule is long overdue, but the goal of the chancellor and his health minister Karl Lauterbach (both SPD) is set. “If we push the problem away from us, the problem will come back in full force,” said Lauterbach in the Bundestag. And: “We must act.”
If it were up to the vaccination quota and if Germany were the yardstick, there would have to be legislative proposals on the table in a number of EU countries for general vaccination. In the Federal Republic around 74 percent of the citizens are basic immunized. This means that Germany is not ahead in the EU comparison, but many countries rank behind with much lower values. Bringing up the rear is Bulgaria with a rate of less than 30 percent. In Romania, around 41 percent of citizens are basic immunized, in Slovakia around 49 percent. Croatia (54), Poland (57) and Slovenia (57) follow in ascending order.
Hardly any debates in other countries
With a general obligation to vaccinate, these quotas would probably be pushed up significantly. But in all these countries there is hardly any debate about it. In Poland, there are discussions about making vaccination compulsory for medical staff – but it is questionable whether this will happen. In Slovakia, compulsory vaccination is politically unenforceable. And even the head of government of Bulgaria, who brings up the rear in vaccination, Kiril Petkov, always emphasizes that there will be no vaccination obligation with him.
Isabelle Marchais researches health policy at the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris. As early as December 2020, she pointed out in an article that there may be great skepticism about vaccination in many EU countries.
Now, a good year later, Marchais is following the situation with great interest. She, too, recognizes that many governments are avoiding the issue – for a variety of reasons. Among other things, Marchais refers to legal uncertainties in the implementation of compulsory vaccination, especially since the vaccines in the EU have only received conditional approval from the responsible EU authority. This does not mean that they have not been meticulously tested and do not meet EU standards for safety, quality and effectiveness. But the manufacturers have to provide more data on their vaccines to the authority. In addition, in many countries there is a loud minority of opponents of vaccination, says Marchais. And then such an invasion of privacy raises ethical questions.
Gives good arguments
“The governments are very cautious,” says Marchais. There are also good arguments for a general obligation to vaccinate – such as the protection of particularly vulnerable groups who cannot be vaccinated against Covid-19 for medical reasons.
Some countries have therefore introduced age or job-related regulations. In Italy and Greece, vaccinations are compulsory for the elderly. In Germany, employees in facilities with vulnerable people such as clinics will soon have to prove that they have been vaccinated or have recovered. Such regulations also exist in Hungary, France and Finland.
In countries like Portugal, Spain, Denmark or the Netherlands, that is not up for debate either. Rather, Denmark has just announced that it will soon lift all corona measures. The country is doing much better than Germany when it comes to vaccinations. The population over 60 is almost completely basic immunized. The situation is similar in Portugal, Ireland, Malta and Spain.
Only Austria is on a similar path to Germany: There is soon to be general vaccination from the age of 18.
So are Austria and Germany isolated with their plans in the EU? Or will they become pioneers as the pandemic progresses? Marchais thinks predictions are difficult. But if the corona situation deteriorates sharply again – for example with a new variant and exploding hospital admissions – other states could follow suit, in her opinion. One thing is certain for Marchais: “The other countries will follow developments in Germany and Austria closely.”