Britta Haßelmann, the leader of the Green parliamentary group, has called on the governing coalition to abandon its plans to mandate medical certificate (AU) requirements starting on the very first day of illness. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post,” Haßelmann stated that Friedrich Merz and his coalition should not insistently adhere to what she views as a flawed project merely because they agreed upon it in the coalition committee. “That would be contrary to all common sense,” she asserted.
The politician argued that abolishing electronic sick notes would lead to a complete overwhelming of general practitioner offices, and she stressed that requiring an AU certificate from day one would have the same negative impact. She added that all family doctors have voiced warnings against these measures. According to Haßelmann, these plans are “driven by a culture of mistrust towards employees” and ultimately would lead to more and longer periods of sick leave, rather than fewer. Consequently, the parliamentary group leader urged the government to refrain from this “nonsensical measure.”
