Merkel in the general debate: “We are facing a difficult phase”



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In the general debate in the Bundestag, Chancellor Merkel called for special caution: the pandemic is not over yet: “This is a long road.” She made an urgent appeal to the citizens, especially with a view to autumn.

The general debate in the Bundestag usually turns into a blanket agreement with the federal government, but Corona changes a lot. This time the debate is dominated by the pandemic.

In her speech, Chancellor Angela Merkel made an urgent and emotional call on citizens to adhere to the Crown’s protection measures. “I appeal to all of you: adhere to the rules that must continue to apply in the near future,” Merkel said in the Bundestag. “As citizens of this society, let’s pay more attention to each other.” She added: “We are currently witnessing a decrease in caution.”

They all yearned for closeness, touch, and togetherness again. “I myself feel that. I do not feel different from the others,” said the Chancellor. “But we are currently risking everything we have achieved in recent months.

Heading into autumn, he said: “We are facing a difficult phase.” The number of new infections has already increased significantly. That is why the latest decisions with the countries are correct, so that the situation does not get out of control.

“I ask you”

He wants to do everything possible to avoid another national shutdown, the Chancellor said. The pandemic is a long road and it has a difficult time ahead in the fall and winter. She was sure that life “as we knew it” would return, the Chancellor said. Families would celebrate again, clubs, theaters and football stadiums would fill up again, “what a joy it will be.”

But now everyone has to act “with patience and good sense” and thus save lives. Now it depends on each individual: “I ask you that.”

FDP leader Christian Lindner, who addressed the lectern after Merkel, called on the federal government to take more specific measures to combat the crown pandemic. “We are not helped by estimates of the drastic increase in numbers.” He also certified that the chancellor had found “suitable words” in her speech during the crisis.

Faced with the high level of new debt due to the crisis, Lindner called for a return to budget discipline and compliance with the debt brake. Taking on new debt has become a “state philosophy” in the grand coalition. Lindner warned of the effects on other European countries: “If we don’t get back to budget soundness, it will send a signal to all of Europe.”

Merkel on the draft budget: react strongly to the crisis

Merkel, for her part, had previously defended the draft budget for 2021, which provides for new debt of a good 96,000 million euros. Germany reacted strongly to the Crown crisis and still had the lowest debt ratio of the seven major industrial countries. However, after the crisis, Germany must quickly return to its normal homes.

Weidel: “Stop waking up the panic”

The leader of the AfD parliamentary group, Alice Weidel, accused the federal government of failure. Her exaggerated measures made the Corona crisis the worst recession in German history, she said, demanding: “Stop causing panic.” Weidel also criticized immigration policy and spoke of a government “that, in its hyper-morality, blindly repeats the mistakes of 2015.” Among other things, she referred to crimes committed by immigrants.

The Chancellor, for his part, urged the proposed reform of the European asylum policy. It welcomes the proposals of the EU Commission in Brussels. “The question of how we implement this is also a touchstone for the cohesion of Europe,” he emphasized. “If we cannot find a common ground between the member states of the European Union on the issue of migration in the long term, it is a heavy burden on Europe’s ability to act.” For years, national governments have been unable to agree on a common line.



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