Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has issued a sharp warning to the Federal Government, demanding that parliamentary questions from members of parliament be answered punctually. In a letter addressed to the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff, Thorsten Frei (CDU), which media outlets reported on, Klöckner stipulated that the Deutsche Bundestag expects the Federal Government to respond to parliamentary inquiries within the established deadlines. The letter, dated Wednesday of this week, specifically stated that if questioners consent to an extension of the deadline, they must be assured that a reply will be provided within the extra time granted.
Klöckner criticized the increasing instances in recent weeks and months where multiple requests for extensions were made, and, critically, where even agreed-upon extensions were not observed without further notice. “I cannot accept such conduct,” she wrote. She therefore requested that Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei remind all ministries of the necessity of properly addressing parliamentary questions and, above all, adhering to deadlines. Klöckner emphasized that the right to ask questions is of “outstanding importance” for parliamentary oversight of the Federal Government, arguing that the parliament and its members can only fulfill their duties if the government correctly meets its obligation to reply.
This warning is not the first time Klöckner has addressed the government regarding delays. According to reports from the Funke media group, the President of Parliament had already indicated in the Elder Council meeting on May 21 that she expected the government to keep its response deadlines, especially when questioners had granted an extension. She was reportedly very clear then that allowing the extended deadline to expire tacitly was “unacceptable.”
Prior to this latest letter, representatives of the Left, the Greens, and the AfD-all three opposition parties-had complained about the government’s frequent and significant delays in responding, despite multiple extensions. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, under Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), was cited repeatedly as a ministry whose handling of parliamentary inquiries was inadequate. During a previous meeting where Wolfram Weimer (CDU), the Federal Minister for Culture, served as the government’s representative, he admitted that there were “bottlenecks” in the Ministry of Economic Affairs when answering questions. However, Weimer agreed that ministries must meet deadlines and promised to follow up on the issue.
