BBefore the crisis between Russia and Ukraine turned into a war, there was one topic in Berlin that towered above all others: the introduction of a general obligation to vaccinate against the corona virus. The political focus is elsewhere now, but the issue is still big. If only because everyone agrees that the pandemic is not over. On Thursday, a legislative process will begin in the Bundestag, at the end of which, at least according to the will of many in the traffic light coalition, there should be general vaccination requirements. However, it is highly uncertain whether this will happen.
Before the start of the meeting of the SPD faction in the Bundestag, its chairman Rolf Mützenich spoke on Tuesday of an “open debate”, at least as far as the coalition factions are concerned. The Union has decided to lead the discussion as a group. After the first reading on Thursday, an attempt will be made to bring the different approaches together. It sounds as if the CDU and CSU are the problem from the point of view of the traffic light. Concerned that it would not have its own majority, the coalition had insisted from the outset that decisions should not be made along the lines of factions, but rather to work with group proposals. But it is becoming apparent that the Union could be part of the solution if the SPD and Greens do not come to an agreement with the FDP.
Desire for the chancellor’s word of power
Five motions will be on the table on Thursday. The desire to categorically reject an obligation does not only come from the AfD, but also from the FDP politician Wolfgang Kubicki, after all Vice President of the Bundestag. The Union faction wants to pass a vaccination law that, according to its health policy spokesman Tino Sorge (CDU), would pacify the “heated debate”. “In an emergency, the Bundestag could activate the vaccination mechanism we have proposed within a few days. The success of the vaccination campaign shows that millions of vaccinations could be done in a very short time,” Sorge told the FAZ.
Large parts of the traffic light coalition, 233 MPs, support the application for compulsory vaccination from the age of 18. An absolute majority would require 369 votes, but since only a simple majority is required, less would suffice in the event of abstentions. To be on the safe side, this is already calculated at the traffic lights. Olaf Scholz (SPD), Robert Habeck (Greens) and Karl Lauterbach (SPD) are behind the application for compulsory vaccination from 18, but not as Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Minister of Health, but as MPs. This is common with group applications.
Among the Greens in particular, there is a desire for the chancellor to publicly throw his weight behind the project. A power statement by the chancellor is in itself incompatible with the idea of a group procedure. However, there is concern that the war in Ukraine will reduce public awareness of the issue and that MPs will no longer support it with the same vehemence as before. This could increase if the number of infections decreases again at the beginning of summer.