Wednesday, June 9th 2021
“We acted cleanly”
Heil speaks free in the mask dispute
In the afternoon, the Bundestag dealt with the allegations against Federal Health Minister Spahn that he wanted to distribute insufficiently tested masks to those in need. GroKo colleague Heil uses the hours before the debate to take responsibility for himself and his ministry.
In the dispute over the distribution of allegedly less tested corona protective masks between the Union and the SPD, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil defended his actions and demanded clarification from Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn. “There was an attempt by the Ministry of Health to lower the standards, to adapt them to the procurement. My experts refused, and I also got my way,” Heil said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. The SPD politician emphasized: “I have the feeling that we acted cleanly.” Now there are questions to Spahn that he has to answer.
The background to the debate, which is burdening the black-red coalition, is a “Spiegel” report on the handling of allegedly inferior corona masks ordered in China. According to plans by the Ministry of Health, masks that have not been tested to high standards should go to facilities for people with disabilities or for the homeless. After an intervention by the Ministry of Labor, this was refrained from. CDU Minister Spahn had rejected the allegations and demanded an apology from the coalition partner, and calls for resignation came from the top of the SPD.
For him the discussion was already over, he could not do anything for the publication, through which there is now the public debate, said Heil. When it comes to the processes, you have to “stick to the truth”. He called for urgent topics such as the retirement age not to be neglected in the discussion. He confirmed that the SPD rejects an entry age of 68, as suggested by experts from the Federal Ministry of Economics.
The Bundestag dealt with the allegations against Spahn in the afternoon. The current hour (3:20 p.m.) was requested by the left-wing parliamentary group, who spoke of a “renewed mask scandal involving Health Minister Spahn” in their application. According to ntv information, however, neither Spahn nor Heil want to express themselves in the debate, but leave the stage to their group colleagues. But you will both be present in the plenary.
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