The Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has established an investigative committee, known as an Enquete-Kommission, to comprehensively evaluate the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion to form the commission garnered broad support, passing with the backing of the ruling coalition partners CDU/CSU and SPD, alongside opposition parties Green Party and The Left. The AfD (Alternative for Germany) largely opposed the initiative, with some members choosing to abstain from the vote.
Unlike a panel of expert advisors, an Enquete-Kommission includes both parliamentarians and external specialists. The commission will comprise 14 members of the Bundestag and 14 subject matter experts. Representation on the parliamentary side will be allocated as follows: five members from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, three each from the AfD and SPD parliamentary groups, two from the Green Party parliamentary group and one from The Left parliamentary group. The 14 external experts will be jointly nominated by the parliamentary groups. The commission is mandated to deliver its final report by June 30, 2027.
During the parliamentary debate, Hendrik Hoppenstedt (CDU) voiced opposition to calls from opposition parties for a formal investigative committee specifically focused on the procurement of face masks during the pandemic under the leadership of former Health Minister Jens Spahn. He argued that such committees foster conflict rather than facilitating solutions or consensus. Hoppenstedt maintained that while investigative committees can be appropriate, they are not conducive to drawing lessons and preparing for the future.
Stephan Brandner (AfD) countered this argument, aligning with Hoppenstedt’s assertion that multiple bodies examining the pandemic response are unnecessary. He advocated for solely utilizing an investigative committee. However, Ates Gürpinar (The Left) accused the AfD of deliberately omitting the mask affair from their proposal for an investigative committee, claiming it contained “superficial information, questionable narratives and rampant speculation.
Helge Limburg (Green Party) emphasized the importance of continuing the inquiry into the mask procurement process through other avenues and stressed the current need for mutual recognition of diverse perspectives and experiences.
SPD politician Lina Seitzl clarified that the Enquete-Kommission’s purpose isn’t to assign blame but rather to extract valuable lessons from the pandemic’s impact. She expressed hope for a final report demonstrating the German political system’s capacity for self-reflection, identifying successes and shortcomings and proposing improvements for future preparedness.