SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch has affirmed his acceptance of the proposed rule requiring a medical certificate from the first day of illness, while simultaneously indicating that he expects adjustments to the legislative process. Speaking on the news program “Hard Talk” with Gordon Repinski on the Welt channel, Miersch stated, “First, there is a basis for the agreement, and of course, that applies to me.”
He confirmed the agreement reached with the CDU and CSU on July 1st, noting, “That agreement exists now.” However, Miersch cautioned that politics is always better served by listening carefully, especially when many voices express resistance to the current proposal.
Although he personally views the current coalition agreement as flawed, Miersch emphasized the necessity of working within the government. “I am in a coalition. And this coalition can only function if we communicate,” he added. Despite this, he kept the door open for modifications during the ongoing process. Miersch affirmed support for a very intensive parliamentary debate, stating that all the critical voices would certainly be taken into consideration.
The SPD leader stressed that the criticism coming from physicians must be integrated into the planning, insisting that the doctors’ words should be taken extremely seriously. Furthermore, he recalled that the Union had initially demanded much broader measures. Miersch mentioned that discussions had even included transitioning to mandatory quarantine days, a concept he found completely unacceptable.
