In the months of the corona pandemic, there was often talk of the strength of federalism, even if it was recently a little more meek. The interim conclusion, however, is modest.
You can also see it this way: The countries are finally reacting to the increasing numbers of infections and deaths, and finally they are admitting that something must be done quickly. The Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Thomas Strobl, for example, who openly admitted that the situation was not under control.
But the situation is also not under control because the responsible state governments have been shirking responsibility for months. Because the prime ministers first refuse to tighten the corona measures and then, under pressure from the Chancellor, take ever more breathless decisions:
- First came the November lockdown, also known as "lockdown light" or "partial lockdown".
- Four weeks later it was extended to December 20, including the announcement that measures would be relaxed over Christmas – which was then withdrawn from state to state.
- On December 2nd, the partial lockdown was extended to January 10th and the next Prime Minister's Conference, or MPK for short, was scheduled for January 4th.
- Just a week later, the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder announced stricter corona measures for his state and called for a hard lockdown for all of Germany; Saxony, the state with the highest 7-day incidence, announced it for Monday.
- A nationwide lockdown should finally be decided this weekend – at least that's what it looks like at the moment.
Cynics would say: If the rate continues like this, the prime ministers will soon have to connect with Chancellor Angela Merkel every hour. Unfortunately, there will be no more time for the obligatory dispute about the date. But it's no longer funny how the prime ministers are managing this crisis. The partial lockdown was announced in return for a harmonious and halfway normal Christmas. The disappointment that the bill does not work out will be all the greater – although this was clear from the start and should have been communicated so clearly.
"It's even worse elsewhere"
In the past few months there has often been talk of the strength of federalism, and in the end a little more meekly that this is a test for federalism. The interim conclusion is modest. As in school policy, the federal states have hidden behind the mistakes of the others, according to the motto: "It may be that things are not going well with us – but take a look there, it is even worse!" Bavarian politicians in particular seem to have a fixation on Berlin, although that has become smaller and smaller with the increase in the number of cases in Bavaria. Most recently, the Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister set himself apart from Bavaria in all seriousness by talking about the fact that there is "something like a North German serenity" that is now helping. Well maybe. But maybe it also helps that the land border with Denmark is 67 kilometers long, while Bavaria has more than a thousand kilometers of borders with the Czech Republic and Austria.
Whether north or south, east or west: Politicians have not done a good job in the past few months and even now they seem pretty perplexed. The long and largely valid statement that Germany made it through this time can no longer be upheld. This is also because the summer was not used to prepare for the second wave, which it was always clear that it would come.
Since October, the Chancellor has been struggling to push the federal states in the same direction. Even she did not always seem sovereign, especially not when she assured that the partial lockdown was limited to November. But at least she has an idea of where to go. Apparently it took Merkel's impressive appearance in front of the Bundestag to get the federal states moving.
If so, then according to plan
Yes, the situation is complex and confusing, and that applies not only to the research situation on the spread of the coronavirus, but also to the mood in the population. It is understandable that the prime ministers are hesitant. But Corona has been going on for a few months now. There are empirical values from Germany and other countries. Of course, centralized leadership is no guarantee of getting through this crisis better. You don't even have to look at the neighboring countries for this, as a glance at Germany shows, where Economics Minister Peter Altmaier first described shopping as a "patriotic task" and two weeks later demanded that politicians act "now".
Nevertheless, if a weak point is obvious in this country, then it is the responsibility of the federal states to fight a global pandemic. The different rules that apply between Flensburg and Fichtelberg, between Cape Arkona and Oberstdorf, and which hardly anyone can understand, are not due to regional peculiarities or different incidence values. Even for a large country like the Federal Republic of Germany it would be possible to develop a step-by-step plan, as Ireland has done. Then it would be clear when approximately the step into the next stage is necessary, and regional differences could also be made here – if one had managed to agree on a nationwide plan beforehand instead of just pretending to be.
Every lockdown is annoying. But if it has to be, then please don't rush it, haphazardly and only after a strict warning from the Chancellor. But on the basis of your own considerations, deliberately and according to plan.
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