German vaccine mandate may take months to pass, parties say

Germany’s ruling parties are hitting the brakes on plans for compulsory coronavirus vaccinations, saying it may take months for lawmakers to properly debate the contentious measure in parliament

BERLIN -- Germany's ruling parties are hitting the brakes on plans for compulsory coronavirus vaccinations, saying it may take months for lawmakers to properly debate the contentious measure in parliament.

Berlin daily Tagesspiegel on Sunday quoted Dirk Wiese, a deputy parliamentary caucus leader for the Social Democrats, as saying the Bundestag should aim to complete its deliberations on the vaccine mandate during the first quarter of 2022.

Green party caucus leader Britta Hasselmann told the Funke media group that the first debate could take place in late January.

With few parliamentary sessions in February, this could mean the lower house won't pass a bill before the end of March. The Bundesrat, Germany's upper chamber, would then take up the matter in April, meaning the earliest it could come into force would be a month later.