The new federal government is far from being formed, but the SPD, Greens and FDP are already planning their first joint law.

One day after the first session of the new Bundestag, in which the three parliamentary groups form a majority, not only the deliberations of the working groups on the formation of a traffic light coalition began on Wednesday.

Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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The three partners have already presented a key issues paper to put the resources in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on a new legal basis. The “Corona emergency” is supposed to expire on November 25th, but at the same time the parties have agreed on a transitional arrangement until March 20th next year to enable the federal states to continue their Corona measures.

Rapid legislative action is necessary because the so-called epidemic situation of national scope, which the Bundestag has proclaimed as the basis for the fight against the pandemic, expires at the end of November; it is also known as the "Corona emergency". Parliament has to find a follow-up arrangement before the new chancellor is elected, which is planned for the first half of December. "The traffic lights work before they exist," said the leader of the Greens, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who presented the key issues paper together with SPD domestic politician Dirk Wiese and FDP parliamentary director Marco Buschmann on Wednesday in Berlin.

Buschmann said the epidemic, including restrictions on public life, had been one of the most contentious issues for the past year and a half. The fact that red-green-yellow have now found a uniform new way of doing this is "a good sign for democracy" and serves to "pacify a really poisoned debate". According to the plans, the new corona regulations, for which, among other things, the Infection Protection Act must be changed, will first go to the Bundestag and then to the Bundesrat in the second and third week of November.

The traffic light parliamentary groups are also looking for support from other parliamentary parties and the executive federal government. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) signaled support on Wednesday. His spokesman said: "Parliamentary responsibility for the pandemic policy is now being transferred to the new, forming traffic light coalition." The ministry is available to advise and support the revision of the regulations at any time. Spahn himself had previously suggested that the Bundestag should not prolong the epidemic situation.

For the FDP in particular, the restrictions in public life under the old coalition had gone too far. During the election campaign, she complained about encroachments on fundamental rights and the allegedly inadequate involvement of the people's representatives in the Corona resolutions. There was also criticism that the federal government had intervened too much in health and school policy, for which the federal states are responsible. The "dominance of the executive" will now end, said the FDP MP Buschmann. The decisions went back where they belonged, in parliament. That is "more fundamental rights-friendly".

The SPD MP Wiese made a far-reaching promise on Wednesday.

"School closings, lockdowns and curfews will no longer exist with us," he said.

Although the incidences rose, the situation was still under control because of the vaccinations.

A serious danger for the general population, which would justify such extensive interventions and extensive powers of the federal and state governments as in the past, “does not exist in our view”.

No more blanket closings

Göring-Eckardt rejected the concerns of intensive care physicians that without an emergency the situation could worsen significantly in winter.

After all, there will also be the possibility in the future of reacting to regional corona priorities with an "instrument box".

The transitional regulations until spring provide that the federal states may no longer order blanket closings, but still the mask requirement, hygiene regulations or rules for tracking contacts. The Corona Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance and simplified access to basic security will also be retained. The special regulation that parents can receive children's daily allowance for 30 instead of ten days if they have to look after their children at home at short notice should also continue to apply until “into the year 2022”.

Paragraph 28a of the Infection Protection Act, which is to be omitted in the future, enables “special protective measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19” as soon as the Bundestag has determined the epidemic situation.

In addition to the distance, hygiene, contact and mask rules, this also includes the obligation to present proof of vaccination, test and recovery, the restriction or prohibition of events, gatherings, trips, overnight stays and company closings, such as restaurants, shops, leisure time or cultural institutions.