In the dispute over protective masks in the corona pandemic, 87 lawsuits from suppliers and dealers are currently being directed against the federal government. The payment claims made amount to around 425 million euros (as of the end of January), as the Federal Ministry of Health wrote in an answer to a request from members of the Left Group in the Bundestag. The answer was available to the German Press Agency on Friday, previously the business magazine “Capital” (Online) reported on it
The state had been desperately looking for protective textiles, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, and ordered masks for 4.50 euros each in a so-called open-house procedure. The tender volume was not capped, the federal government got a lot more goods than expected. In many cases, the ministry refused to pay, citing quality defects – but numerous retailers argue that these did not exist at all.
According to the answer, the Federal Ministry of Health has concluded about 30 comparisons so far. According to the information, the “cash payments for damages and legal disputes from the open house procedure” will amount to around 13 million euros by the end of January 2022.
The answer also shows that there are currently around 2.4 billion “certified (durable) masks” – i.e. FFP2 and surgical masks – in the federal inventory. In any case, this corresponds to a six-month requirement. The masks are therefore stored at 17 locations across Germany with various service providers. (dpa)