Parliament: This is what the Corona Commission of the Bundestag should look like

More than five years after the beginning of Corona pandemic, crisis management in Germany and the consequences are to be worked out comprehensively. The coalition factions of the Union and SPD will bring an application to the Bundestag on Wednesday, which provides for the establishment of an Enquete Commission. After a first debate, committee consultations should follow before the parliament then decides to establish the committee.

Crisis of “historical scope”

The title of the Commission should be: “Refurbishing of Corona pandemic and teaching for future Pandemic events”. Pandemic has confronted citizens, civil society, state institutions, companies, art and culture from 2019 to 2023 with challenges “of historical and not an extended scope since the Second World War,” the application says. In order to avert serious consequences for risk groups, be it to solidarity – and weighing up the consequences for business and society and a proportionate design of interventions of fundamental rights.

A comprehensive, scientifically sound processing of pandemic and state and social action is essential in order to draw reliable conclusions for the future, the investigation goal says. The leading should be “that all measures and decisions can only be assessed against the background of the information level at the relevant time.” Despite many investigations, even in the countries, many would have the impression that the pandemic had not yet been sufficiently processed.

In the past parliamentary term, a large analysis and evaluation of the protective measures with masks, tests and everyday specifications at the federal level had not come about. A citizens’ council was discussed, there are also calls according to an investigation committee. The Union and SPD now agreed an Enquete Commission in the coalition agreement. The French word “enquete” means investigation. Such commissions of the parliament belong to MPs and experts from science and practice.

The Commission is intended to shed light on a number of aspects: early detection with pandemic plans and provision. Crisis management with the federal-state rounds of the Prime Minister Conference, crisis rods and the integration of scientific expertise. The legal framework and parliamentary control. The protective measures against virus spread, especially with effects on children and adolescents. Vaccinations and the procurement of protective equipment such as masks and tests. Help for companies and the labor market. Effects on culture, tourism, volunteers and clubs.

The Commission should belong to 14 MPs and 14 experts. According to the application, the Union names five MPs, AfD and SPD three each, the Greens two and the left a MP. The experts should be named in agreement – with the appropriate participation of the federal states and municipalities and a balanced representation of the scientific disciplines and areas of society. If there is no agreement, the parliamentary groups should name the experts as after the MP key.

The Commission should be able to hold public hearings from experts, stakeholders and those affected and obtain expert opinions. It can use working groups for priorities. There should be a website for information about the work. The “ongoing knowledge acquisition” and results should be made accessible to the public “in a suitable form”.

The Commission is intended to submit a comprehensive final report to the Bundestag by June 30, 2027 with knowledge and recommendations for action. Inter -aspects are also possible, which should enable earlier parliamentary and political employment.