The Bundestag wants to pass the security package – despite great unrest among the Social Democrats and the Greens. Five things you need to know about the traffic light law.
Why does this security package even exist?
After the deadly terrorist attack in Solingen in August, in which three people were stabbed, the federal government wanted to send a signal of toughness and determination. On the one hand, through tightening gun laws and more powers for security authorities, and on the other hand, through tougher rules in asylum policy. The alleged perpetrator, apparently a Syrian refugee, should have been deported under EU law (keyword: Dublin Regulation) – but the German authorities failed to transfer him.
The pressure to act, especially a few days before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, was correspondingly great. Opposition leader and CDU boss Friedrich Merz was the first to call for tougher rules, keyword: “Enough!” Within a short time, the federal government put together a package of measures. When presenting the plans, both Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) called for them to be “implemented as quickly as possible” by the Bundestag and Bundesrat.
Why did it take so long?
The traffic light factions, which had to put the federal government’s security package into legal texts, had argued for a long time about the details. Most recently, experts expressed their concerns at a hearing of the Interior Committee because parts of the package of measures violated applicable law. It was only last Friday, seven weeks after the Solingen attack, that the SPD, Greens and FDP announced that they had agreed on a compromise. Still, there was no calm in the debate.
The tougher migration laws are causing loud grumbling, particularly in the SPD; dozens of members of the Bundestag have also signed an open (incendiary) letter from the grassroots with more than ten thousand signatures. The Juso chairman Philipp Türmer clearly criticizes the package of measures, complaining about a “massive shift in discourse to the right” and the harassment of refugees. For parts of the FDP, however, the planned measures do not go far enough, even though they have had difficulty with the planned knife bans for a long time. In the course of the consultations, many measures were weakened and exceptions were added.
Traffic light safety package Solingen 17.58
What’s in the security package?
The legislative package introduces a general ban on knives at public events, as well as a general ban on switchblades. According to the draft law, there should be exceptions for “certain legitimate interests”, such as “in professional and hunting environments”. Asylum seekers who are obliged to leave the country should have their benefits canceled if, according to the so-called Dublin rules, another EU country is responsible for them and leaving the country is actually possible. There should be exceptions if children are affected. In terrorism investigations, it should be possible to compare biometric data on the Internet if the President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has this approved by a court.
Why aren’t the CDU and CSU joining in?
After Solingen, the Union as well as the SPD, FDP and Greens initially tried to develop a joint proposal to bring political peace to the issue of migration in particular. CDU leader Friedrich Merz asserted that he did not want an asylum campaign, saying that this would only help the AfD. However, the negotiations failed. Unlike the traffic light, the Union is calling for blanket rejections of refugees at the German borders, including refugees who want to apply for asylum. Merz and his people are primarily relying on a passage in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in which member states are guaranteed responsibility “for maintaining public order and protecting internal security.”
The Union also criticizes the fact that the traffic light once again adjusted its plans to reduce social benefits in Dublin cases. This should now only be possible if leaving the country is “legally and actually possible”.
Does the coalition have its own majority?
Olaf Scholz called for his own majority in the SPD parliamentary group for the vote on the security package and, if necessary, suggested a vote of confidence. This means that the Chancellor does not want to be dependent on votes from the opposition. The safest majority is the so-called chancellor majority, i.e. more than half of all MPs. This is the number of votes that is usually necessary when electing the head of government. With currently 733 MPs, 367 votes are required. The coalition has 415 votes, 48 votes above the thirst.
However, a majority of its own has already been achieved when the coalition achieves a majority among all MPs present at the vote. Since it is not expected that all opposition parliamentarians will take part in the vote, the quorum for the coalition’s own majority decreases.
In a test vote in the SPD, 20 to 25 MPs are said to have voted against the package. There are also numerous critics among the Greens. However, it is not uncommon for members of the parliamentary group to vote against a law and then bow to the majority in the plenary session. Under all these conditions, it can be expected that Scholz will achieve his own majority. Since this is a roll-call vote, it will be possible to see exactly how many and which parliamentarians refused to support the Chancellor.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
