Scholz can probably not keep the promise of mandatory vaccination
In the coming week, the SPD parliamentary group will speak to members of the ethics council, among others
Source: AP / John MacDougall
Compulsory vaccination before the beginning of May is unrealistic: According to the media report, the Bundestag’s schedule and legal questions stand in the way of Chancellor Scholz’s “early March” plan. According to Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP), however, nobody should worry about dawdling.
B.und Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) can no longer keep the promise of mandatory vaccination until March, according to a report. The reasons for this are the schedule of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, as well as complicated legal issues such as the “Tagesspiegel” (Sunday edition) learned from coalition circles.
Scholz had said verbatim on ZDF at the end of November that a general vaccination requirement should apply to everyone in Germany by “beginning of March” at the latest.
First of all, there will be a comprehensive orientation debate in the Bundestag on January 26th or 27th. Because of Carnival, only one week of meetings is scheduled for February, so that a decision can be made in the week from March 14th at the earliest. Since the Federal Council, which has to approve, will not meet again until April 8, the project can only then be finally approved according to the current schedule, reported the “Tagesspiegel”.
Before the beginning of May, the compulsory vaccination can hardly come into force without special meetings. If, in addition, a central vaccination register with data on all vaccinated persons is to be set up to enforce the obligation, the obligation to vaccinate could not come into force until June, as the “Tagesspiegel” further explained.
The deputy chairman of the parliamentary group Dirk Wiese, responsible for the mandatory vaccination project in the SPD parliamentary group, told the newspaper: “We should conclude the deliberations in the Bundestag in the first quarter” – the first quarter ends at the end of March.
Scholz avoided questions about it
That is a demanding schedule. With a view to possible delays, Wiese emphasized that the compulsory vaccination does not have a short-term effect anyway, but is “in perspective a precaution for the coming autumn and winter”.
In the coming week, the SPD parliamentary group will initially seek talks with members of the Ethics Council, the Federal Data Protection Commissioner and lawyers. “We want to have a thorough debate on important detailed questions, such as the need for a vaccination register,” said Weise.
On Friday after the Bund-Laender round on new corona measures, Scholz avoided all questions about whether he had to cash in on his promise and referred to the German Bundestag regarding the schedule.
Federal Justice Minister Buschmann is pushing the pace
The Union, on the other hand, is accused of delaying the project because of FDP concerns. In the FDP, the compulsory vaccination is controversial.
Meanwhile, Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) called for a quick decision in the debate. “The Bundestag should decide quickly whether a vaccination should be introduced. And if so, for whom, ”said Buschmann “Bild am Sonntag” and announced a speedy implementation if the MPs approved.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP)
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
“Legislative processes usually take six to twelve months. The decision about compulsory vaccination will be much faster. “
The FDP politician emphasized that nobody had to worry about dawdling here. Buschmann does not believe that compulsory vaccination could fail due to legal objections. “More and more lawyers say that you can justify compulsory vaccination if it helps to prevent an impending collapse of the health system, and other protective measures that interfere deeply with freedom can be dispensed with.”
For reasons of time, Buschmann rejects the introduction of a vaccination register for mandatory vaccination. “That would take too long. It will probably take years to introduce a national vaccination register. ”
In the event of violations of the mandatory vaccination, Buschmann wants to impose fines and have the arrangement checked in a similar way to the 3G obligation in local public transport or parking bans. “If the legislature so decides, it would also be able to be implemented that way. Then it can quickly go with the compulsory vaccination. “
However, everyone must still have the chance to be vaccinated, ”stressed Buschmann. “I am therefore counting on a few months between the entry into force of the law and the application of mandatory vaccinations for citizens.”