Chancellor‑party politician Franziska Hoppermann, who chairs the corona enquiry commission, says that Germany is not adequately prepared for future pandemics.
She told the “Rheinische Post” on Thursday that “the regulations and laws must be sharpened so that it is clear and transparent what happens in each situation and how decisions are made”. Hoppermann added that the way the federal government, the states, and municipalities collaborate in a cross‑border or nationwide disaster is unclear. She pointed out that while the pandemic protection law has been used, Germany lacks a federal disaster‑management law that stipulates how crisis teams should be composed. In addition to a federal disaster‑management law, she sees a national health council as a possible solution.
Hoppermann also criticised the working dynamics within the enquiry commission itself. She noted that “there are already situations that the German Bundestag has not yet seen” referring to experts who were named by the AfD. Some of these specialists, she said, sometimes behave in ways that are not appropriate toward the commission and its rules. She concluded that it will have to be evaluated “how far we need to step up”.
The commission has been meeting under Hoppermann’s chair for half a year, and it will convene again this Thursday.
