Highly explosive topics were on the Bundestag’s agenda this week – from the Ukraine crisis to a general vaccination requirement to the supplementary budget for 2021. The government’s poor performance is sobering, however – that can be said after 50 days in office. Neither does the coalition show a clear stance towards Russia, nor does it back up its quest for compulsory vaccination with its own law. And with the supplementary budget, many experts believe it violates the constitution. You can read how the CDU/CSU parliamentary group sees things and what it is doing about it in this issue. This week, however, the Bundestag has not only dealt with day-to-day politics. On the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, we remembered the victims of National Socialism. However, we must not stop at the culture of remembrance. #WeRemember is only the first step. We must ensure every day that right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism do not find a breeding ground among us.
With this in mind, we wish you pleasant reading!
Your Communications Team of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag
Vaccination register demanded
In the fight against the Corona pandemic, members of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group spoke out in favor of improving the data basis. "We need a vaccination register", said the deputy chairwoman of the parliamentary group Andrea Lindholz In the Bundestag’s orientation debate on the general obligation to vaccinate. The legal policy spokesman Gunter Krings appealed to the federal government to "give up its blockade attitude against a vaccination register".
CDU and CSU parliamentarians gave the government a poor report card by refusing to pass its own bill on mandatory vaccination. In such a critical situation as the Omikron wave, one can expect leadership from a federal government, complained parliamentary group vice president Sepp Muller. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group also criticized the fact that the "traffic light" coalition is relying on the small request Of the Union faction on the general vaccination obligation had answered late and inadequately. The health policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Tino Sorge, Spoke of a "game of hide and seek" by the Chancellor and the Minister of Health.
Ukraine crisis worrying
In the Ukraine crisis, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group has called on the German government to adopt a clear and firm stance toward Russia. Germany must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its Western partners at Ukraine’s side, CDU and CSU deputies demanded in an Bundestag debate. The elected CDU leader Friedrich Merz accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of indecisiveness: "They are not leading – neither in Germany nor in Europe."
The CDU member of parliament and spokesman for crisis prevention, Roderich Kiesewetter, Accused the government of "not giving a happy picture". She said she must do everything possible to ensure that the cohesion of the European Union remains and that Ukraine is taken seriously by the Russian side. "We must come to a more decisive approach to Russia," he warned. The defense policy spokesman Florian Hahn demanded that all sanctions options against Russia remain on the table: "This also applies to the issue of arms deliveries."
Legal action against supplementary budget
The Union parliamentary group has strong constitutional objections to the supplementary budget for 2021. That is why she is collecting votes among her deputies for a Legal action in Karlsruhe. The deputy chairman of the parliamentary group Mathias Middelberg expressed confidence that the necessary quorum of 25 percent of seats would be achieved. Middelberg sees that considerable financial means are necessary for the climatic change. But: "The procedure for mobilizing these funds must be constitutional."If you stockpile debt and create special assets with any justification, you open the door to circumventing the debt brake," he warns.
The traffic light coalition wants to mobilize a total of 60 billion euros, originally intended to cushion the Corona crisis, for climate protection, bypassing the debt brake. Special fund shifts burden onto future generations.
Commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust
In a solemn event the German Bundestag commemorated the victims of National Socialism. On 77. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz, Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher and the President of the Israeli Parliament, Mickey Levy, were guests in Parliament. Both called for a fight against misanthropy and anti-Semitism. "Never again!", Levy shouted to the deputies. "This disease must be cured as soon as possible," Inge Auerbacher said about rampant anti-Semitism.
In the run-up to the commemoration ceremony, the chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Ralph Brinkhaus, called it important for the Bundestag to show its colors on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, precisely because there have been "frightening incidents of right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism" in recent times. Faction Vice President Dorothee Bear and the cultural policy spokeswoman of the parliamentary group, Christiane Schenderlein, called for an ongoing reappraisal of National Socialism and an uncompromising stance against all forms of anti-Semitism and racism. Numerous members of parliament from the CDU and CSU took part in the digital campaign #WeRemember part.
In addition
- the CDU/CSU parliamentary group is calling on the federal government to Funding stop of the K program to withdraw support for energy-efficient buildings and renovation of existing buildings. To this end, it introduced a motion for a resolution in the Bundestag. The energy policy spokesman Andreas Jung accused the government in the Bundestag of damaging people’s trust with the sudden halt in subsidies. The construction policy spokesman Jan-Marco Luczak called the measure a blow to families. The measure is also harming climate protection. The Minister of Economics lacked respect for people’s need for Planning security and after home ownership, the deputy parliamentary group leader complained Ulrich Lange. Outraged also Fraktionsvize expressed itself Dorothee Bar And the spokesman for consumer protection, Volker Ullrich.
- the CDU/CSU is committed to a European Union one that is capable of global politics. "If Europe wants to act at eye level, it must act united," said the European policy spokesman Gunther Krichbaum in an interview. Also in the Bundestag, he campaigned for more strategic autonomy for the EU. He praised the conference on the future of Europe, which had given integration a positive boost. The conference is a forum that brings European institutions together with citizens.
- the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in connection with the Annual Economic Report underlined the high value of the social market economy. Its further development must take into account all dimensions of sustainability, including social and ecological ones, explained the economic policy spokeswoman Julia Klockner. The swan song for the social market economy initiated by Economics Minister Habeck is, however, out of place. The vice chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group spoke out in favor of more trade and more trade agreements with other nations Jens Spahn in the Bundestag from. Germany as an export nation depends on it.
- the CDU/CSU parliamentary group criticized the federal government’s response to its Small question on dealing with wolvescriticizes. The agricultural policy spokesman Albert Stegemann Misses above all a statement on how animal owners can be better protected against wolf attacks and at what point the limit for the spread of the wolf population is reached. The environmental policy spokeswoman Anja Weisgerber accused the government of playing down the problems with wolves.
- the Union parliamentary group advocates better marketing of regional foods and expansion of agricultural exports. "This strengthens the competitiveness of farms and leads to greater sustainability, among other things through shorter transport routes," explains agricultural policy spokesman Albert Stegemann. For this a national Agricultural marketing agency should be created, which should make the domestic regional agricultural economy even better known at home and abroad. The gross value added of the agricultural and food industry in Germany amounts to around 194 billion euros per year. One third of the products alone are exported.
- has called on the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for Prolongation of the Bundeswehr’s mission in Iraq voted by the end of October. The mission is to help prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) terror network and stabilize Iraq. The foreign policy expert Norbert Rottgen said in the Bundestag that IS no longer controls any territory, but still endangers the peace and stability of the country. Iraq remains fragile. The parliamentary group is critical of Syria being removed from the Bundeswehr’s area of operations.
24.000 ..
… applications are affected by the K funding freeze, which the traffic light coalition has imposed. For tens of thousands of young families, the dream of owning their own home is in danger of being dashed because their financing is falling away.
Ukraine crisis
Foreign policy experts from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group have spoken out in favor of supporting Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, including with arms deliveries. Vice chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Johann Wadephul said in the Phoenix Roundtable (26.1.22), Ukraine should not be left in the lurch. Military means would also be needed for this purpose. The foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag Jurgen Hardt demanded in "World" (24.1.2022), Germany should "abandon its strict anti-attitude". "I think the demand for defensive weapons on the part of Ukraine in Germany should be examined and in certain cases also positively decided upon." Also Norbert Rottgen named arms deliveries to Ukraine in the ntv early start (28.1.22) legitimate. A "clear and unequivocal response" to the deployment of troops on the Ukrainian border, demanded CDU leader Friedrich Merz in the "World" (27.1.22). Nevertheless, Russia remains a European country. Therefore must consider, how Russia could be integrated in the long term again into a European order.
Corona policy
Thorsten Frei has once again accused the government of wanting to introduce compulsory vaccination, but not answering fundamental questions about it. "This makes us confused," said the First Parliamentary Secretary in the Deutschlandfunk (24.1.2022) Because of a missing vaccination register one does not know who is vaccinated and who is not. Also on the ZDF talk show Maybritt Illner he criticized the government’s actions in the Omikron wave. Union faction health politicians also voiced strong criticism of Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. Thus called the health-political speaker Tino Sorge "the minister’s frequent, short-term pirouettes of opinion" in the Bild newspaper (25.1.2022) "little confidence-building." Citizens would have to be able to rely on the fact "that the half-life of statements doesn’t just last from one talk show to the next". Erwin Ruddel demanded that Lauterbach finally get down to realpolitik. "At present, his contradictory messages are more the problem than the solution," he said.
Supplementary budget
Union faction vice Mathias Middelberg has the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung (27.1.22) explains how the CDU/CSU plans to oppose the federal government’s supplementary budget. "Immediately after publication of the law, we will file the complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court."In addition, an urgent procedure will be initiated so that the traffic light does not use this unconstitutional budget for expenditures already. The chairman of the Budget Committee, Helge Braun, accused the traffic light of tricking to undermine the debt brake of the Constitution. In ZDF morning magazine (27.1.22), he criticized that in this way mortgages would be imposed on future generations.
"In any case, it should be noted that this debate today is quite obviously called an orientation debate because a disoriented federal government is turning to parliament for help."
Gunter Krings on 26.1.2022 in the Bundestag
Markus Reichel Has been elected chairman of the Working Group on the Future of Work, a subunit of the Working Group on Labor and Social Affairs. The medium-sized entrepreneur from Dresden, who won a seat in the Bundestag for the first time in 2021, announced his intention to develop concepts for a modern working world in which career and family can be better combined.
Armin Laschet has been elected one of the vice presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The outgoing CDU chairman and member of the Bundestag, who is internationally accomplished and very well connected, will also be deputy head of the German delegation and head of the CDU/CSU group within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
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