The federal and state governments are advising on Ukraine, energy and Corona
Berlin.
Concerns about Germanys energy security are the focus of the conference of the prime ministers of the federal states on Thursday (12.00 h) in Berlin.
The country heads are discussing the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the consequences for Germanys energy supply. First they keep to themselves, in the afternoon they meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The federal and state governments are also talking about the corona pandemic and preparing for a possible new wave of infections in autumn and winter.
Wüst calls for a strategy for energy security
North Rhine-Westphalias Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) called for a comprehensive energy security strategy in Germany as a consequence of the Ukraine war. "At the Prime Ministers Conference, we will discuss how Germanys security can be strengthened in a comprehensive sense," said Wüst, who is currently Chairman of the Prime Ministers Conference (MPK), the German Press Agency.
Germany must become independent of importing Russian energy as quickly as possible. "Thats why we have to speed up the expansion of renewable energies." It is also important for Germanys security to "avoid becoming dependent on authoritarian regimes in the future," said Wüst. "To do this, we have to diversify our energy sources and work even more closely with our partners in Europe and the USA."
The federal government is aiming to to become largely independent of Russian gas. She fears an economic crisis if the import stop is too quick.
Calls for timely corona plans for the fall
The The traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP is already struggling for renewed state corona protection requirements such as mask requirements for the fall. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is preparing a strategy for an expected increase in infections in the colder season. In addition to a new vaccination campaign, test rules and the use of medication, this should also include renewed changes to the Infection Protection Act, which came into effect on 23. expires in September.
There are increasing calls for early clarification as to which corona measures should then be possible. The Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) demanded that a new regulation should "not be made until the last moment". "We now have to examine the toolbox with which we can react to a possible worsening of the infection situation in autumn," she told the editorial network Germany (RND).
Wüst also put pressure on: "It It is important that the federal government, in coordination with the federal states, adapts the basics for fighting the pandemic in good time before autumn," he told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday). One has to draw conclusions as to "which protective measures were successful and will continue to be successful in the future".
Municipal association: Mask requirement and 2G rules possible do2024
With the amended Infection Protection Act, general mask requirements for events or when shopping as well as 2G and 3G have been since the beginning of April -Access regulations abolished. For the time being, "basic protection" applies - for example with mask requirements in buses, trains, clinics, practices and nursing homes.
The association of cities and municipalities called for an "effective anti-corona plan" for the autumn. . Managing Director Gerd Landsberg told the RND that "national uniform measures should be possible again if the situation should deteriorate". "Instruments such as the obligation to wear a mask in public spaces, distance rules and contact restrictions as well as 2G or 3G regulations should be possible under clear conditions." There are also calls to make masks compulsory in schools again.
Leading FDP politicians, however, had insisted on waiting for a planned scientific evaluation of previous corona measures before making a decision on the future course. Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) also called for a decision by the Prime Ministers Conference that there should no longer be any nationwide school closures. "Children and young people must not bear the brunt of the pandemic again," she told the Funke newspapers.
Compulsory insurance for natural hazards
)Another topic: Baden-Württemberg and Saxony want to bring the reintroduction of compulsory insurance for natural hazards for all building owners to the Prime Ministers Conference. After the flash floods and floods in several regions in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in the summer 2021, a debate broke out about how damage from flood disasters could be better secured. The justice ministers of the federal states had recently examined the question of whether compulsory insurance violated the constitution. On Wednesday, the conference of justice ministers cleared the way, as the Baden-Württemberg department head Marion Gentges (CDU) confirmed to the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten".
Two press conferences planned
First since the annual conference in October 2021 in Königswinter, the heads of government meet again in person. Following the state talks, Wüst, Berlins head of government Franziska Giffey (SPD) as MPK deputy chair and probably the chair of the broadcasting commission, the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD), want to appear before the press. After the federal-state talks with the chancellor, Scholz, Wüst and Giffey want to inform the public about the results. (dpa)
