Union faction shows openness to discussions on a Bundestag police law with other factions.
“We also want to strengthen the security of the Bundestag. Therefore, we are generally willing to discuss a Bundestag police law with the other factions” said Thorsten Frei, the first parliamentary business manager of the Union faction, to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. “However, the final draft of the law from the minority government of the red-green coalition is not even available to us yet.”
The CDU politician advocated for a thorough debate. “A Bundestag police law would be a novelty in parliamentary history. The legal matter is, in addition, anything but trivial” Frei continued. “Such a draft law therefore requires a thorough discussion, including an expert hearing in the Bundestag. The rush procedure is not to be done and would be completely unprofessional.”
The Greens’ faction business manager, Irene Mihalic, had expressed support at the end of November for passing such a law before the new Bundestag election in February. The Police Union (GdP), which represents the employees of the Bundestag police, is also pushing for the law to be passed in the current legislative period: A new legal framework could strengthen the legal certainty and independence of the Bundestag police, the union said in a statement reported by the RND.
Currently, the actions of the Bundestag police are based on a provision that, as far as is visible, is entirely at the discretion of the Bundestag president. So far, this power has never been misused. “However, there is no guarantee whatsoever that (personally and possibly politically differently composed) future parliamentary presidencies will behave similarly in the future” the GdP warns.