by Thorsten Koch In a consultation which dragged on for hours, the Federal Government and the State Governments agreed that there should be a step-by-step plan that results in easing the lockdown. The measures against Corona are to be extended until March 28th. An extension…

According to a paper by the Federal Ministry of Health, general practitioners are to be included in the vaccinations against the Coronavirus from the second half of March. This makes it necessary to change the vaccination ordinance at federal level. From April it will be…

by Thorsten Koch The Federal and State Governments have described four opening steps in a working paper. This is limited to the event that after March 28 – until then, the corona measures are to be extended -, the number of Covid infections will decrease….

The Federal Government has spoken out in favor of caution and diligence in decisions to relax the measures against the Coronavirus. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said this in view of fewer intensive care cases, a higher number of vaccinations and rapid tests planned on the…

The Union parties and the SPD do not want future measures against the coronavirus to be based solely on the incidence value. The Infection Protection Act is to be adapted in this regard. Instead of the incidence value alone, the vaccinations and the so-called R-Value…

The Federal Government is against changing the order of the groups of people who are to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus, after a number of Prime Ministers in their respective Federal States have campaigned for a relaxation in this area. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said…

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has campaigned for citizens to show more trust in all of the approved Corona vaccines. He said he had “little understanding” of withholding certain vaccines. Faster vaccinations are important, and all vaccines certified by the European Medicines Agency are both effective…

The Bundestag should have more of a say as to the decisions in dealing with the Corona pandemic. The parliamentary groups of both CDU-CSU and SPD submitted a proposal to establish a parliamentary “Monitoring Committee for the Covid-19 Pandemic”, which is to deal not only…

CDU-CSU and SPD agree on how the reform of the taxi and driving service market should be approached. Union group spokesman Lange said that the municipalities would get more powers. The Vice Chairman of the SPD Parliamentary Group, Bartol, has praised that cheap and new…

by Thorsten Koch Chancellor Angela Merkel has emphasized that the Corona measures could be relaxed, depending on Covid tests. Rapid tests should be a topic at the federal-state conference on March 3rd, said Merkel. There may be regional rules because of the immunization campaign and…

The chairwoman of the Synod of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Irmgard Schwaetzer, has made an appeal for fairness in the election campaigns that are pending in Germany. She spoke out in favor of respecting the basic rules of democratic coexistence. Instead of myths,…

A high level of data protection is inappropriate during the Corona pandemic, said the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann (Greens). By complying with data protection, the warning app for smartphones is “just a crutch” instead of a powerful control instrument.

Thomas Haldenwang, President of the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has warned against further radicalization among “violent left-wing extremists”. There are now attacks that are also directed against individuals. One has to see “whether this radicalization develops into terrorist structures”.

Various departments at federal level have refused to sign a final report of the federal cabinet, due to a lack of funds. After the anniversaries of the right-wing extremist attacks in Halle and Hanau, specific projects against racism and anti-Semitism are blocked for the time…

The SPD’s candidate for chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has proposed replacing the basic security, also known as Hartz-IV, with a new type of citizen’s benefit. Conditions should no longer be based on “distrust” of the social welfare offices; some sanctions should be abolished for Hartz-IV beneficiaries…

The Corona lockdown lasted two and a half months for hairdressers – from December 16 last year. Nationwide, this profession can again open their shops from Monday. Garden markets, flower shops, pedicure salons and driving schools are also allowed to resume their work.

Strict entry rules came into force on Sunday at the borders of Germany with the Czech Republic and the Austrian state of Tyrol. The German states of Bavaria and Saxony controlled persons in order to contain the newer and more contagious variants of the Coronavirus….

The Bundeswehr is to remain on duty in Afghanistan until the end of January 2022, in order to participate in an ongoing NATO mission to aid the country. The Federal Cabinet concluded this after the withdrawal date of April 30th is no longer considered to…

The candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), wants to push through tax increases for high earners and wealthy people after the upcoming Bundestag election. The citizens want a fairer tax system, said Scholz. Those who have a lot of income should make a bigger contribution…

Chancellor Angela Merkel is against lowering the Corona restrictions for vaccinated people, at this time. “As long as the number of people who have been vaccinated is so much smaller than that of those who are waiting for the vaccination, the state should not treat…

US President Joe Biden at the Munich Security Conference emphasized that relations between the United States and the EU are of great importance. The transatlantic relationship is a key not only for security, but also for prosperity, he explained. In order to fight the Corona…

The current lockdown to contain the Coronavirus pandemic is confirmed by most administrative courts in Germany. After November 2, around 600 urgent appeals were pending in the judicial courts, the German Association of Judges announced. The restrictions were thus confirmed in around nine out of…

The interest group ‘Deutsche Umwelthilfe’ has spoken out in favor of the EU Commission striving for more ambitious goals within the Common Agricultural Policy (GAP). “With the Green Deal, the EU Commission has presented a comprehensive action program to get out of the current economic…

German whistleblowers should enjoy better protection in the future. Federal Justice Minister Lambrecht is committed to this. A draft law, which is due to be submitted soon, provides for legal protection if informants about issues in business or government pass on critical matters and insider…

In North Rhine-Westphalia, 173 security officers in the state service are currently suspected of having posted right-wing extremist opinions in chat groups. Three weeks ago, it was 20 fewer. Most of the 173 suspects are police officers, said State Interior Minister Reul. The right-wing extremist…