BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Shortly before the parliamentary summer break, the Bundestag is still dealing with a number of topics this Thursday (09.00 a.m.). According to the plan, Parliament will not meet again until the beginning of September. Whether there will be a special session in the summer because of the numerous crises is open.
Wolfgang Kubicki from the FDP does not expect it: “An event that would require immediate legislative intervention is unlikely and nobody can foresee it. In any case, I have no visionary abilities,” said Kubicki of the “Rheinische Post”. The parliamentary secretary of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, had previously said: “There can be situations where we could of course need a special session.” She advised her group colleagues to be easily accessible.
But one thing is certain: The schedule is tight, agenda items are scheduled until early Friday morning. An excerpt:
expansion of green electricity
The members of parliament vote on an extensive legislative package for a faster expansion of eco-power from wind and sun in Germany. This plays a key role in the federal government’s strategy for achieving climate targets. In addition, dependence on fossil fuels should be reduced in the medium and long term. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the heavy dependence on raw materials from Russia pose a major challenge for Germany’s energy policy.
Afghanistan Inquiry Committee
The committee should, among other things, deal with errors in the deduction of the armed forces from Afghanistan in 2021. The German soldiers had left the country after almost 20 years. Then, in August, Germany took part in an international evacuation mission after the militant Islamist Taliban regained power in the country. In June there was broad support for the establishment of the committee.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Hgl (SPD), called for a thorough investigation in the newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Thursday). Among other things, it must be investigated “what could have been done to better protect the Afghan local forces and to get them out of the country earlier.” The processing of the last year in Afghanistan is an “important building block” of the deployment balance.
flood disaster
The scheduled debate on the flood disaster a year ago is also about dealing with mistakes. In July 2021, more than 100 people died in the floods, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. There was damage in the billions.
The environmental policy spokeswoman for the Union faction, Anja Weisgerber (CSU), called for minimum standards for the creation of hazard and risk maps for local heavy rain events as well as heavy rain early warning systems. In the newspapers of the editorial network Germany, she also urged a “national climate adaptation law to provide for the public and for the future”. This must take into account the “legitimate interests of states, municipalities, farmers, landowners and other affected parties”.
anti-discrimination agency
In mid-June, the cabinet nominated the journalist Ferda Ataman for the head of the federal anti-discrimination agency – since then the personnel has been the subject of controversy. Opposition politicians from the Union and AfD, but also individual representatives of the governing party FDP deny her suitability. Among other things, you describe Ataman as a “left-wing activist” who stands for “divisive identity politics”. SPD leader Saskia Esken speaks of a “slanderous campaign”. But the majority for Ataman stands well.
Airports and Bundeswehr
Also on the agenda are debates on the chaos at airports, the poverty report and the Ceta Free Trade Agreement with Canada. The Bundestag also wants to vote, among other things, on accelerating procurement measures for the Bundeswehr./seb/DP/zb