In Germany, the government’s goal of making it an obligation for adults to get the Covid-19 vaccine has remained unsuccessful for now.
Social Democrat (SPD), Greens and Free Democratic Party (FDP) deputies forming the coalition government announced that they had withdrawn the draft regulation that required vaccination for everyone over the age of 18.
Party officials announced that it is unlikely that a general vaccination requirement will be accepted in the vote to be held in the Bundestag on Thursday.
For this reason, deputies announced that they had written a new proposal and announced that they aimed to reach consensus in this way.
What does the new proposal entail?
According to the new proposal, which was announced today and is expected to be put to a vote in the parliament on Thursday, the vaccination obligation will be applied to those over 50 years old as of October. Those in this age group will have to document that they have had three doses of the vaccine after 1 October.
Those who are between the ages of 18-50 and have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be invited to interviews with experts in order to resolve their question marks. In these meetings, where participation is mandatory, those who have not been vaccinated so far will be informed about the Covid-19 vaccines.
New situation assessment in September
The parties forming the government will closely monitor whether the current regulation is effective in the fight against the coronavirus in the coming months. The situation will be reviewed in the light of both the course of the epidemic and the latest data on vaccination rates.
As a result of these evaluations, it will be discussed again in September whether to make vaccination compulsory for those under the age of 50.
Another innovation envisaged in the regulation to be discussed in the Bundestag this week is the establishment of a reliable data bank on vaccination certificates.
It is aimed that those who have had Covid, have been vaccinated, or have received compulsory vaccination counseling will document their situation through insurance, so that the legal regulation will be applicable in practice.
If accepted, the regulation is expected to be in effect until the end of 2023, and the results achieved by the regulation are planned to be evaluated every quarter.
Has a general vaccination requirement been waived?
Dagmar Schmidt, the deputy responsible for the health policies of the SPD and the party’s deputy chairman of the parliamentary group, announced that they made intensive attempts to ensure the acceptance of the vaccination obligation, but that they could not get enough support from the deputies in this regard.
Schmidt said that they have prepared a new proposal for consensus, but added that they have not completely given up on a general vaccination requirement.
The SPD politician noted that if the target of sufficient vaccination among young people is not achieved, the coronavirus restrictions may have to be applied again in the autumn.
Does the new proposal get the necessary support?
In order for the new proposal to become law, an absolute majority of 736 deputies must vote for the new regulation in the vote to be held in the Bundestag on Thursday.
Party sources, who share the information that 237 deputies declared their support for the first draft text, which stipulates that everyone over the age of 18 must be vaccinated, needs the votes of 197 more deputies for the absolute majority.
It is hoped that this support can be provided with the regulation that was announced today and stipulates the obligation to vaccinate above the age of 50 in the first place.
Whether it can provide this support will be shown by the consultations between the parties to be carried out until Thursday.
What are the objections?
The first objections to the proposal were not delayed. While Andrew Ullmann, a liberal MP from the FDP, who is among the coalition partners, criticizes that the necessary preparations are not made for the obligation to vaccinate over the age of 50, Tino Sorge from the Christian Union Party stated that they will not support any regulation other than the “staged mechanism” they have proposed for the vaccination obligation, and that the last proposal is Prime Minister Scholz. and Health Minister Lauterbach argued that it was “an effort to save his political image”.
SPD Deputy Dirk Wiese, on the other hand, emphasized that they took steps to meet the expectations of all parties with the latest proposal and said that they now expect a step forward from others. Wiese noted that it should be possible to form a large majority in the parliament on such an important issue.
4 different proposals were presented to the parliament regarding the vaccine debate. Two of these are texts that oppose the necessity of vaccination. One of them foresees the necessity of vaccination consultation first, and it includes the introduction of vaccination obligation in case the efforts of persuasion through information do not yield results. The Christian Unity Party, on the other hand, includes the proposal to establish a vaccine database and gradually introduce a vaccination requirement for certain groups.
What warning did Health Minister Lauterbach give?
The new government, led by Olaf Scholz as prime minister, took office in December, and both Scholz and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said they aimed to enact a regulation that would make vaccination compulsory for all adults over the age of 18, which would come into force by March at the latest.
However, the fact that a consensus has not been reached in the Bundestag, despite months of intense negotiations, worries Minister Lauterbach the most.
Calling on the lawmakers to support the new proposal, Minister of Health Lauterbach said that with the vaccination obligation, the elderly can be protected, and thus the young can be protected, and said, “Whoever votes against this proposal, risks new closure decisions and suffering in the fall.”