Bundestag Climate protection in Fast track

Status: 06/24/2021 4:41 a.m.

The Bundestag wants to pass the stricter climate protection law today. The opposition speaks of a quick shot – and doubts the effect.

From Martin Polansky, ARD capital studio

The federal government hastily got the new climate protection law in motion. At the end of April, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled: The previous Climate Protection Act of 2019 must be improved because the measures to reduce emissions from 2031 are inadequate. After the decision in Karlsruhe, there would actually have been time until the end of next year to remedy the deficiencies. But the Union and the SPD wanted to prove their ability to act again in terms of climate protection.

Environment Minister Svenja Schulze from the SPD speaks of a “very important week for climate protection in Germany”. “This means that climate neutrality will become law in Germany in 2045. And with this, we will fulfill the mandate of the Federal Constitutional Court in the shortest possible time and ensure a fair balance between the generations.” The Karlsruhe judges had emphasized that future generations could be burdened too much in their freedoms by climate protection measures, if not changed in time.

2045 greenhouse gas neutral

The amendment now stipulates that Germany is to become greenhouse gas neutral as early as 2045 – i.e. from then on it will not emit more carbon dioxide than is absorbed primarily through forests. To achieve this, the annual savings targets for power plants, industry, traffic, agriculture and buildings are tightened.

And after a long turmoil, the federal government has agreed on some immediate measures: for example, additional wind turbines and solar systems in the coming year and simplified repowering, in which old wind turbines are replaced by new and higher ones. Communities should also benefit financially when they provide open space for solar systems.

And: The federal government has launched an eight billion euro investment program to accelerate the energy transition. “We want to involve the citizens with us. We want to get people excited about climate protection. That is why we rely on the promotion of environmental technologies,” says the chairwoman of the Union in the Bundestag Environment Committee, Anja Weisgerber from the CSU. “And we want to prevent jobs from being relocated due to excessively strict climate protection requirements. We achieved that in the agreement.” Some in the Union and the SPD are concerned that voters’ enthusiasm for climate protection could wane as soon as it becomes concrete and costly. Therefore, the SPD has blocked plans of the Union to increase the CO2 price for fuel, heating oil and natural gas, which has been in effect since the beginning of the year, more quickly.

Costs for the tenants?

At the same time, the CO2 costs for heating remain entirely with the tenants. The Union did not want to burden the landlords additionally. And: CDU / CSU have blocked the SPD’s plans for a significantly faster expansion of renewable energies. Because new wind turbines and power lines are unpopular in many places.

Criticism comes from the environmental expert of the Greens Oliver Krischer: “We have agreements in the smallest details that hardly make a difference in the matter,” he says. “And there is no progress at all with the major measures such as phasing out coal, refurbishing buildings, or switching off combustion engines.”

“A quick shot”

The Left and the FDP speak of an election maneuver. The federal government does not have a clear plan for climate protection, says the FDP environmental expert Lukas Köhler: “What the federal government is doing now is a quick shot that is neither coordinated at European level nor in any way really stipulates that it works efficiently and purposefully. ” With the government majority of the Union and SPD, the tightened climate protection is likely to pass the Bundestag today. The current federal government no longer has to achieve the new climate targets. To this end, future governments will be bound to the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045

interview

Working conditions at universities “Human and anti-science ”

Status: 06/24/2021 5:03 a.m.

Chain contracts, extra work and a lack of prospects: under the hashtag #IchBinHanna, scientists mobilize against difficult working conditions. At their pressure, the Bundestag is also dealing with the subject today. tagesschau.de: With #IchBinHanna, working conditions in science make it into parliament. How did the hashtag come about? Sebastian Kubon: Until recently, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research had a video on its website in which an animated figure named Hanna explains the legal basis of employment, the Science Contract Act. This is a special right of fixed-term employment that regulates that scientists in Germany can be employed for a maximum of six years before and six years after completing their doctorate. Thereafter, the time limit must be extended. But that doesn’t happen due to a lack of jobs, so most of them are thrown out of the system by then at the latest – with all their qualifications and knowledge that are then lost to science. And in addition to this immense loss for Germany as a research location, there is always a personal fate. If there is such an explanatory video to explain this absurd situation, then in my opinion it is anti-human and anti-science. Therefore, Dr. Amrei Bahr, Dr. Kristin Eichhorn and I give the scientists a face – with the hashtag #IchbBinHanna.

To person Dr. Sebastian Kubon is a research associate at the History Department at the University of Hamburg, currently on parental leave. He is mainly concerned with public history and food history. At the moment, criticism of the German science system is at the center of his commitment. To do this, he and Dr. Amrei Bahr and Dr. Kristin Eichhorn created the hashtag #IchBinHanna.

tagesschau.de: What are your main points of criticism and what are your specific suggestions? Kubon: I hardly know where to start. The short-term contracts are particularly bad. Instead of doing research in peace, you have to keep writing new applications and proposals. We need realistic contract terms, i.e. as long as you actually need for a doctorate, for example. And those who then have a doctorate should be employed on a permanent basis – or at least receive a clear and transparent perspective. In addition, there is a lot of unpaid overtime at universities. Many colleagues only have half jobs – and still work as much as if they had full jobs to keep the business running. We need reliable and sufficient basic funding. This does not always mean more third-party funding, i.e. project-related funds that have to be applied for and raised at great expense.

“Then you shouldn’t get any professors out of time”

tagesschau.de: The Ministry of Education justified the temporary positions by stating that research always needed new impulses. Kubon: This argument that only constant fluctuation creates innovation has been around for decades without ever being scientifically verified. According to this logic, professors should not be deferred. I think that is more of an exaggerated argument. Because it is – at least in the short term – easier and cheaper for young scientists to work unpaid overtime. But this literally burns them up, which is expensive in the long term and not sustainable at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about pity. But this system means that important research projects are put to rest, teaching suffers in terms of content and students keep losing contact. Many highly talented people, when asked if they could see themselves in science, wave their thanks. tagesschau.de: Another argument from the Ministry of Education is that if all posts were to be expelled, a single generation would “clog” the system … Kubon: But nobody is asking that all positions be permanent – as far as I know, not even the union. It is about transparent criteria and a concrete perspective: in other words, expiry under the and the circumstances. Surely it cannot be that every new generation has to struggle again and again with precarious working conditions and cannot conduct research properly.

“No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere”

tagesschau.de: Is that actually a purely German problem, is it better to deal with young scientists abroad? Kubon: “Offspring” is a terrible term. Some people in their mid-40s are not newcomers, but highly qualified experts who have long had highly paid management positions elsewhere. No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere. Foreign universities have already tried to poach German scientists as part of #IchBinHanna. But to come back to the question: Overall, science is a precarious system worldwide. But I cannot judge that in detail. But it would perhaps also be more the job of the ministry to set up a commission to deal with working conditions elsewhere in order to see what one can learn from there. But that would presuppose that deficits are recognized at all in their own country.

Mobilize via Twitter – in response to pressure from academics, the Bundestag is currently dealing with working conditions in research and teaching (archive). Image: picture alliance / Geisler-Fotop

tagesschau.de: Now there is a current hour in the Bundestag today. What do you expect from it? Kubon: I hope that this will bring science back on the political agenda. If it is to provide urgently needed orientation, then we can no longer work under such conditions. But I have the impression that many politicians simply do not know anything about it. Therefore we say: stop – it cannot go on like this. And maybe a few parties will see it as an opportunity to position themselves on questions of science policy.

Workers’ rights, as for everyone else

tagesschau.de: It is the last week of the session, then there will be general elections in September, so there will be no quick solutions. How do you intend to carry the topic forward? Kubon: The Science Contract Act is currently being evaluated. However, the corresponding forms are designed in such a way that I cannot imagine that valid data will come out of them. Nevertheless: The law is on the agenda for the next legislative period. Therefore, the deficits must now be described as precisely as possible in order to propose possible solutions. This is done in the traditional way, i.e. via local programs, party work or unions. But thanks to social media, initiatives can also arise quickly and spontaneously – the success of #IchBinHanna has shown us that. You made the Ministry of Research have to deal with our criticism. And on this point we will not let up: Scientists must have the same employee rights as everyone else. The interview was conducted by Stefan Keilmann, tagesschau.de

Wirecard scandal What’s left of the U committee

As of: 06/22/2021 9:16 a.m.

A year ago, the financial services provider Wirecard went bankrupt. A U-Committee of the Bundestag tried to find out why controllers and supervision failed. The committee has now completed its work.

From Tobias Betz, ARD capital studio

Head of authorities fired, insider trading uncovered: A reform should turn Germany’s financial supervision inside out. The committee of inquiry into the Wirecard scandal has initiated a lot. More than 100 witnesses were questioned and thousands of documents turned over.

Florian Toncar did this for the FDP: The investigative committee had come to a clear conclusion. “We made it very clear that the Wirecard case was not a natural disaster that no one could have foreseen or averted,” he says. There were hints and people who warned early on. The disturbing thing about the Wirecard case is that all of this could have happened with the eyes of sight and under the inspectors’ radar.

BaFin seal of approval?

The central accusation of the opposition: The Federal Financial Services Agency (BaFin) did not investigate early indications of possible irregularities at Wirecard. Instead, according to experts, the authority made fatal misjudgments.

BaFin was convinced that Wirecard was being blackmailed. That is why the authorities imposed a ban on the short sale of Wirecard shares in February 2019. BaFin had never before issued such a speculation ban with a single share. Many market participants understood this signal as a kind of seal of approval: You can trust Wirecard, the company is clean!

Many small investors then got on board. When the rumors that had been circulating for years about inflated balance sheets at Wirecard turned out to be true in June 2020, the share price plummeted. Wirecard was broke. Many small investors lost everything.

The minister and the chancellor had to testify

Since then, the public prosecutor has been investigating, among other things, gang fraud. Former board members were arrested and one of them, Jan Marsalek, is still on the run to this day. Because the control authorities are subordinate to ministries, the opposition’s criticism was directed at the government, says Lisa Paus, who sits on the committee of inquiry for the Greens. “Wirecard was also an auditor scandal. The supervision was under the economics minister Peter Altmaier,” says Paus. Above all, Wirecard is a broad supervisory scandal overall. “The financial supervision was under the SPD finance minister Olaf Scholz.”

Ministers Scholz and Altmaier had to testify in the committee of inquiry. Chancellor Angela Merkel was also questioned for hours. None of them admitted mistakes. On the other hand, the work of the investigative committee certainly increased the pressure on the Federal Finance Minister to completely reform the financial supervisory authority BaFin, which is subordinate to him, including a change at the top of BaFin.

Bankers lost their reputations

Financial expert Fabio De Masi from the Left Party is certain that the results of the committee of inquiry are not only politically interesting: “The auditors’ mistakes will play a role in class actions by small investors,” he says. Never before have so many heads rolled at the head of authorities in such a short time.

Authority managers, bankers, analysts, fund managers and BaFin employees – they lost their jobs, their bonuses, their reputation. These are the first concrete effects of the committee of inquiry into the Wirecard scandal. The witness chair on the investigative committee was therefore soon more feared by some than the dock in a criminal court

retail trade Constant dispute about the closing time

Status: 21.06.2021 5:43 p.m.

25 years ago, the Bundestag approved longer shop opening times. But to what extent do more flexible rules benefit retail – and what price do employees pay? The debate continues.

From Jens Eberl, WDR

When Berliners want to go shopping in Bavaria, they might find themselves in front of closed doors every now and then. Berliners are used to having shops open around the clock. And Bavaria, on the other hand, has the shortest opening times in Germany. Since 2006, responsibility for regulating shop closing times lies with the federal states. The federal store closing law only applies in the federal states that have not passed their own store opening law; and that is the case in Bavaria. According to the Federal Store Opening Act, sales are allowed Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bakeries are allowed to open from 5.30 a.m. In Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony, the shops are allowed to open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., in the other federal states, 0 a.m. to midnight.

“The job can hardly be planned any more”

Have the more flexible opening times proven effective? The balance sheets are very different. Stefan Genth, chief executive of the retail trade association (HDE), says that liberalization was an important and right step. “Especially in the food retail sector, customers like to use the longer opening times to shop later in the evening after the working day and to take a look around.” The service union ver.di, on the other hand, speaks of a massive deterioration in working conditions. “Due to the long opening times, the employees are required to be much more flexible, the job can hardly be planned,” says Federal Board Member Stefanie Benefitberger. Compared to the past, there are many more part-time workers; the longer opening times have not led to the creation of full-time jobs. “There are simply fewer staff available for advice in the store, so that the opening times can be covered,” says Benefitberger. “Two thirds of those employed in retail are women. The expansion of part-time work and employment that is not subject to social security contributions are at their expense and mean that they are dependent on basic security in old age.”

Jobs for millions of people

The industry association contradicts: Liberalization has increased the need for labor in the retail sector. “Particularly in the food trade, additional jobs were created in order to be able to cover the evening and night hours,” said HDE General Manager Genth. Overall, the retail trade in Germany today offers more than three million people a job.

The union also sees a connection between the dying inner cities and the long opening times. There was a big cutthroat competition, so ver.di board member Benefitberger. “Four corporations make around 80 percent of sales in foodstuffs, three corporations make almost 90 percent of sales in drugstore articles.” Not every company was able to go along, especially smaller shops should have closed that way.

Sunday opening as an economic aid?

In the current discussion about shop opening times, the main focus is currently on Sunday. The trade association, the association of towns and municipalities and Marcel Fratzscher, head of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), have signed up for a general Sunday opening until Christmas – as an economic aid for the industry, which has been hard hit by Corona.

“In many other areas of the economy, opening on Sundays is a matter of course. In restaurants and pubs it is part of everyday life that the doors are also wide open on Sundays. The same is true of theaters, cinemas or museums worked on Sundays, “said industry representative Genth. “Only in the retail sector, as a rule, everything has to be closed on Sundays. That is no longer in keeping with the times.”

Resistance in court too

But the trade union ver.di is massively resisting further liberalization, which is why it repeatedly goes to court. The advance of the HDE is a “general attack” on the trade workers, their families, and the Basic Law. “The HDE thinks too short-sightedly when it hopes to liven up the city centers and shops with shopping Sundays,” said union Benefitberger. “Because just because it is open longer, people cannot spend more money. Sunday sales only move sales from working days to Sunday.”

At the moment, shops generally have to close on Sundays and public holidays. There are exceptions, for example, for bakeries, flower shops, newsagents, petrol stations and shops in train stations and airports

Law for more women on boards Which companies now have to act

Status: 11.06.2021 3:55 p.m.

In future, women must be given greater consideration when filling executive board positions: the Bundestag has passed the “second management positions law”. What are the rules now? And how many companies does this affect?

What was decided?

The new minimum number of women on executive boards applies to listed companies with equal co-determination and more than 2,000 employees. In future, you must have at least one woman on the board if it has more than three members. The minimum participation only applies when a new position is filled. “An appointment of a board member in violation of this participation requirement is void,” says the law. There are stricter rules for companies with a majority shareholding by the federal government: In general, if there are more than two members of the management team, there should be at least one woman. This applies to Deutsche Bahn AG or German air traffic control, for example. In addition, the fixed minimum quota for the Supervisory Board is to apply, which is 30 percent.

interview 03/08/2011

Other listed or co-determined companies that do not fall under the requirement should in future have to justify if they plan for the board of directors without women. If this does not happen, there is a risk of fines. With the law, the reporting obligations for companies are tightened accordingly. However, the Federal Council still has to approve the law.

How many women sit on company boards?

More than half of the large listed companies in Germany have no women on their boards, as a study by the Women in Supervisory Boards Initiative (FidAR) shows. The 160 groups in the stock market indices DAX, MDAX and SDAX as well as the 26 companies listed on the stock exchange with equal co-determination (as of March 22nd) were evaluated.

background 02/17/2011

Accordingly, in 103 of 186 corporations examined, not a single woman sits in the boardroom. At the same time, the average proportion of women on executive boards rose to 13 percent compared to the previous year, which corresponds to a plus of 2.3 percent. In the 200 companies with the highest turnover in Germany, the proportion of women on executive boards is 11.5 percent, as a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) shows. In the past year, the proportion of women on supervisory boards in the currently 106 companies that are subject to the mandatory women’s quota was an average of 35.9 percent.

Which companies need to improve?

According to the FidAR study, the number of companies that would be affected by the law passed today is 66. Of these, 25 had no women on the board of directors as of the reporting date. This also applies to the engine manufacturer MTU and HeidelbergCement, two companies from the DAX. The situation will soon change at the building materials company. At the end of May, HeidelbergCement announced that Nicola Kimm will take over the newly created position of Chief Sustainability Officer from September 1st. She is then responsible for the issues of sustainability and new technologies.

05/28/2021

The course has also been set at MTU: The company has formulated the goal of a women’s quota on the Executive Board of 25 percent by 2022. The Executive Board is currently made up of four men. According to the study, Knorr-Bremse was also one of the companies that would have to make improvements. That has now happened: Claudia Mayfeld has been in charge of the newly created Executive Board department for Integrity and Law since May 1, 2021. According to the authors of the study, Adidas, Bayer, Eon, Infineon, Fielmann and Südzucker have each appointed women to their boards since the bill was announced.

Controversial project passed Bundestag decides Supply Chain Act

Status: 11.06.2021 11:58 a.m.

In the future, large German companies will have to pay more attention to compliance with human rights and environmental standards by their suppliers – otherwise they face fines. The opposition criticized the Bundestag resolution. The Bundestag has passed the Supply Chain Act, which makes large companies more responsible than before for conditions at their global suppliers. 412 MPs voted for the law, 159 voted against it and 59 abstained. During the final deliberations in parliament, the Greens announced that they would vote with the government factions of the CDU / CSU and SPD. The FDP and AfD spoke out against it, the left wanted to abstain. The controversial project had been wrestled for a long time.

There is a risk of fines of two percent of sales

From 2023, large companies in Germany will be obliged to take action against human rights violations and environmental violations at their suppliers. Failure to do so can result in fines of up to two percent of annual sales. It initially applies to corporations with more than 3000 employees. According to the coalition, there are more than 925 companies. From 2024, companies with more than 1000 employees are also to be included, which would be around 4800 companies.

“Children belong in schools and not in mines”

Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said that politics must take action against child labor. “Children belong in schools and not in mines,” he said. Around 160 million children are currently working around the world, half of them in particularly dangerous conditions. That is why we need clear standards.

For Development Aid Minister Müller it is “the most important law for more justice between rich and poor”. Image: dpa Development Aid Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) said the law was “certainly the most important law for more justice between rich and poor”. He emphasized that it came about against strong lobby pressure. In the interests of business, the Union had enforced that there is no additional civil liability for companies. Corporations would have legal and planning security, so representatives of the Union parliamentary group.

AfD: Law harms German economy

The FDP and AfD, however, accused the regulation of harming the German economy. The AfD criticized that competitors of German companies were the winners of the law. Greens and leftists welcomed the law as a first step, but criticized it as inadequate. The left argued that because there was no civil liability, the law was too weak and made too few companies accountable.

Bundestag resolutions Higher tobacco tax and more protection for “coffee trips”

Status: 11.06.2021 8:26 a.m.

The Bundestag passed numerous laws into the night. Among other things, the redistribution of EU agricultural subsidies was decided and the rules for so-called coffee trips tightened. Smoking will become more expensive in the future. An overview. The plenary session began on Thursday morning – it was only ended on Friday morning at 0.59 a.m. by Parliament’s Vice-President Wolfgang Kubicki. The agenda in the Bundestag was tough. In the last few weeks before the summer break, the grand coalition is trying to get as many projects as possible through parliament. An overview of the most important resolutions of the night session.

Tobacco tax is rising – and also applies to liquids

Germany’s smokers are asked to pay more. The Bundestag decided that the tobacco tax for a pack of 20 cigarettes will rise by an average of ten cents in the coming year. A year later, a further ten cents will be added, in 2025 and 2026 another 15 cents per pack will be added. Vaping e-cigarettes and tobacco heaters is also taxed higher. So-called liquids for use in e-cigarettes are to be subject to tobacco tax in the future; up to now they have been subject to sales tax. An additional tax is to be introduced for heated tobacco, so that in future there will be a taxation similar to that of cigarettes.

More consumer protection with “coffee trips” and online marketplaces

The sale of insurance, home loan and savings contracts, medical products and dietary supplements on so-called coffee trips will be prohibited in the future. In addition, the participants of such trips must be better informed about their rights by the organizer. The fine for violations will be increased from 1,000 euros to 10,000 euros. The new law also provides for a regulation according to which consumers may not be asked to pay before the end of the day on which the contract is signed for contracts that have come about as part of an unsolicited visit to the home. In the future, online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay will have to disclose the essential criteria for their rankings of search results. They must also inform consumers whether the potential contracting parties are entrepreneurs or private individuals. Rankings in search results must not be influenced by hidden advertising or hidden payments. The platforms must also explain how they ensure the authenticity of user reviews. Fake reviews are expressly prohibited in the future. Advertising in online networks should be more recognizable in the future – this applies to influencers, for example. Labeling is not necessary if the advertiser has not received any money or similar consideration from a company.

Protection of package tours

Consumer protection is also being strengthened for package tours: a multi-million dollar fund will in future protect package travelers from possible damage in the event of bankruptcies. Tour operators are to pay 750 million euros into the fund. The fund is also intended to prevent the state from having to step in when tour operators go bankrupt. The new fund is to guarantee prepayments by customers, the repatriation of stranded holidaymakers and their accommodation until they are returned. It basically replaces the previous protection through insurance or bank guarantees. The background to this is the bankruptcy of the travel company Thomas Cook in September 2019.

Fight against tax havens and money laundering

Capital flight to so-called tax havens is expected to become less attractive in the future. If the Federal Council also approves the new regulation, operating and advertising costs for cross-border transactions can only be claimed for tax purposes if the respective states adhere to international tax standards. In addition, regulations on withholding tax, which are incurred on investment income abroad, are being tightened. The basis is a “black list” of the EU, in which “non-cooperative countries and areas” are listed, which from Brussels’ point of view facilitate tax evasion or unfair tax competition. There are twelve countries such as Panama, Fiji and the Seychelles. However, this list is controversial – mainly because it does not contain any tax havens within the EU. In order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing more effectively, the German transparency register will also be expanded and better linked internationally. Additional reporting obligations for the economy should make it easier to track down letterbox companies and to identify the people behind nested company structures. At the same time, this is intended to protect reputable companies from coming into contact with questionable business partners and criminal machinations. In addition, the investigators in Germany should work more closely with the authorities in other EU countries.

Compensation for phasing out nuclear power

The Bundestag also gave the green light for the compensation of energy companies for the accelerated nuclear phase-out. The adopted amendment to the Atomic Energy Act empowers the responsible federal ministries to conclude a public law contract “on the payment of financial compensation” which ends “all national and international legal disputes”. In March, after years of dispute with the energy companies RWE, Vattenfall, EnBW and E.on, the federal government reached an agreement on compensation: Germany pays the companies compensation totaling a good 2.4 billion euros. This compensates for residual amounts of electricity that the companies can no longer generate in their own plants, as well as investments that the companies made in reliance on the nuclear power plant life extension that came into force in 2010.

Distribution of EU agricultural subsidies approved

The Bundestag also approved the federal government’s legislative package for the distribution of EU grants for German farmers. In the coming years, this will increasingly be based on criteria such as environmental protection and animal welfare. From 2023, a quarter of Brussels direct payments will be linked to certain ecological requirements. For example, there is additional money for not using pesticides or for more nature conservation in meadows and pastures. In total, it is about six billion euros that Germany’s farmers will receive annually from the EU until 2027. So far, the distribution of such funds has largely been based on the area of ​​the farms – regardless of the impact on the environment and landscape. With the reform, small and medium-sized businesses are to receive significantly more support. Young farmers up to the age of 40 also receive more money. In addition, there will in future be a premium for grazing animal owners who have so far benefited little from the area premium. The Federal Cabinet had already adopted the new requirements for the national structure of the Common European Agricultural Policy (GAP) in April. At EU level, however, there is still a struggle about how the reform of the EU agricultural policy should be designed. The aim is to reach an agreement by the end of June. The legislative package that has now been passed, which is aimed at a Agricultural Ministers’ Conference Compromise goes back, then changed again. Previously, the Bundestag had, among other things the powers of the protection of the constitution expanded . In the course of the day, the parliament wants to pass a number of other laws of the grand coalition – for example on care reform and on Compliance with human rights in global supply chains .

In return for planned aid from the federal government in the Corona crisis at Deutsche Bahn, the board of directors should forego bonuses. This emerges from a decision of the budget committee of the Bundestag, which is available to the German press agency. According to the resolution, the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn AG will be asked to forego variable remuneration or comparable remuneration components, special payments, profit sharing or other separate remuneration in 2022 for the 2021 financial year. In view of the corona crisis, the group management board had not received any bonuses for the past year.

Help against bonuses

The federally owned Deutsche Bahn is dependent on federal financial aid, as the Corona crisis had caused a slump in passenger numbers. The result was a record loss of 5.7 billion euros in 2020. In order to cope with the loss, the federal government had already announced billions in aid. An increase in equity by five billion euros is planned. However, the payment is dependent on the approval of the EU Commission. It must ensure that the aid does not put competitors at a disadvantage. One of the requirements of the EU is said to have included the executive board’s waiver of bonuses, as the “Spiegel” reported.

Criticism from the union side

The discussion about the Executive Board bonuses for the current year was therefore held intensively. In January, the federal chairman of the Union of German Locomotive Drivers (GDL), Claus Weselsky, criticized the DB board of directors saying that “their own bonuses are obviously more important than the weal and woe of the railway system”. The DB board did not want to tighten their belts despite Corona, but demanded that from the direct staff, according to Weselsky. The Green budget politician Sven-Christian Kindler said: “There is no question that the board of directors cannot get bonuses in view of the billions in aid. Right so that the budget committee has clarified that again.”

Reform of the remuneration rules

Kindler also demanded that the bonus regulations for the rail board would have to be fundamentally revised and reduced for the time after Corona. In general, the federal government must ensure that the board of directors is remunerated with moderation and moderation. According to Kindler, it could not be that the variable remuneration, i.e. the bonus payments, was as high as the fixed salary in the last few years before Corona. The current freeze on bonuses is the ideal opportunity to reform the remuneration regulations for the railway management board.

Agreement with Brussels soon?

The negotiations between the German government and the EU Commission should be on the home straight. Significant progress has been made, reported the dpa news agency, citing government circles. The aim is to find an “industry solution” from which not only Deutsche Bahn but also the competition should benefit. The focus is on lowering train path prices, for example in rail freight transport. This is now stored in the planned supplementary federal budget for 2021. In return, when the federal government plans to increase equity for Deutsche Bahn, there should no longer be any competition requirements for the group. The aim is a “modular solution” totaling around five billion euros.

From Eva Lamby-Schmitt, ARD capital studio It’s done – one of the grand coalition’s biggest projects, summarizes Andreas Lämmel from the Union parliamentary group. In the reform of the Telecommunications Act, there is a legal right to fast Internet – everywhere, including in rural areas. For this purpose, all households in Germany are to be connected to high-speed internet, and network providers are to be encouraged through state subsidy programs to promote the expansion of the internet. Or as Falko Mohrs from the SPD describes it: “We are glass fiberising the country.” Not only fixed-line internet, but also the mobile network should be stable and uninterrupted across the board, 4G as the standard everywhere and as a preliminary stage for 5G.

If landlords provide a fiber optic connection, they can charge five euros per month for it. Image: picture alliance / Guido Kirchne

Fiber optic cables in many apartment buildings?

For consumers, the law also changes the terms of Internet contracts. In the future, they should not be automatically renewed for another year or two after the minimum term has expired. Users could then cancel it monthly. In addition, costs for TV cable contracts are no longer to be billed via the ancillary costs in the future. However, if the landlord has equipped the house with fiber optic cables, he can ask for money, capped at five euros per month. The federal government hopes that the fiber optic expansion will also make it into apartments in rental houses. After the vote in the Bundestag, the Bundesrat is still asked. The federal government wants the new telecommunications law to come into force this year.

Despite extensive criticism from the opposition, the Bundestag passed a majority of changes to the Infection Protection Act and thus created the legal basis for implementing the “Federal Emergency Brake”. In the roll call vote, 342 MPs voted for the law, 250 spoke out against the “emergency brake”. 64 MPs abstained. AfD, FDP and the Left announced their rejection, the Greens their abstention.

From curfew to distance learning

The “emergency brake” provides for uniform tightening of the corona measures nationwide as soon as certain incidence values ​​are reached. If the seven-day incidence exceeds 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, night curfews are to come into force. With a value of up to 150, shops can still offer their customers shopping by appointment – provided the customers can be tested beforehand. And from a seven-day incidence of 165, schools must return to distance learning.

Tempered after criticism

The federal government had already presented the plans for the nationwide uniform “emergency brake” about two and a half weeks ago – at that time with even stricter regulations in some cases. For example, the nightly curfew should apply from 9 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. as it is now and close non-systemically important stores completely from a seven-day incidence of 100. But the criticism of these strict requirements was too great, so it was reworked. The now somewhat milder variant of the “Federal Emergency Brake” must be approved by the Federal Council tomorrow. If the regional chamber also agrees, the regulations should initially apply until the end of June.

Numerous objections from opposition parties

The “federal emergency brake” remains controversial. The FDP wants to lodge a constitutional complaint against the regulations before the Federal Constitutional Court. Party leader Christian Lindner said in the Bundestag that the curfews were “not necessary to fight the pandemic, but an encroachment on fundamental rights”. For the Left Party, the changes in the Infection Protection Act still leave too many gaps, especially with regard to companies. The parliamentary group leader Amira Mohamed Ali emphasized during the Bundestag debate. The work in the home office must be controlled more closely. In addition, it is not sufficient that employers have to offer their employees corona tests, but employees are free to take them. The Green health politician Maria Klein-Schmeink had criticized the regulations as “too half-hearted”. Fundamental criticism of the “emergency brake” came from the AfD. From the point of view of parliamentary group leader Alexander Gauland, the “emergency brake” represents an “attack on the rights of freedom, federalism and common sense” as well as a “disregard for fundamental rights”.

Economy speaks of “symbol politics”

The “Federal Emergency Brake” has met with a negative response in the economy. From the point of view of the managing director of the German Retail Association (HDE), Stefan Genth, the measures decided “missed the target”. Closing shops in particular does not help in the fight against the pandemic. The federal government continues to pursue “symbolism”. The German Tourism Association particularly criticized the ban on accommodation in hotels, guest houses and other guest establishments. With this measure, the grand coalition is raising “a general suspicion of tourist overnight stays without providing further, comprehensible justifications,” said managing director Norbert Kunz. The German Hotel and Restaurant Association Dehoga also joined in the criticism of the corona policy, which calls for a “special sacrifice” from the hospitality industry while the rest of the economy continues to operate. Therefore, there must be additional financial aid for the industry.

Thousands protest against corona policy

At the same time as the Bundestag debate, thousands protested against the federal government’s corona policy and the “emergency brake” in Berlin. According to the police, around 8,000 demonstrators had gathered on the Strasse des 17. Juni. Originally 500 participants had been registered for the protest. Around 2,200 officers were on duty in the course of the demonstration, and water cannons were also available, according to the police. The Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate were cordoned off over a large area. In the early afternoon, however, the police broke up the demonstration. “Unfortunately we had extensive violations of the hygiene regulations,” said a police spokeswoman for the decision. Around 150 demonstrators were also temporarily arrested, for example because they refused to wear mouth and nose protection. The “lateral thinking” movement had also announced a demonstration in Berlin today. But the administrative court in Berlin decided in an urgent procedure to ban the event. The assembly would pose direct threats to the fundamental right of third parties to life and physical integrity, the judges said in the reasoning.

From Eva Lamby-Schmitt, ARD capital studio It was a shock for investors and experts alike when three companies in the P&R group of companies went bankrupt – completely surprising. 54,000 investors feared for their money . Together they had invested more than three billion euros. The billion-dollar bankruptcy of the container rental company P&R has shown: That Small Investor Protection Act of 2015 is not enough. The protection of investors must be further strengthened, according to the federal government’s draft law, which the Bundestag is discussing for the first time today.

Facilitate risk assessment

The main thing is more transparency, explains Sarah Ryglewski, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance. “By publishing documents on the BaFin website on which investors base an investment decision,” she explains. In this way, private investors should be able to better assess the risks in the future. In addition, advisors and investment brokers are to be supervised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). “That is a clear step and has not been the case so far,” says Ryglewski, “so we also say here: In future, sales may only be permitted by supervised consultants and intermediaries.”

Prohibition of “blind pools” planned

A certain form of investment is to be banned completely in the future: so-called “blind pools”. This is a form of investment in which it has not yet been determined which specific investment objects will be financed with the investor’s money. “That is simply not suitable for private investors because they do not know what they are investing in and the possible risk is not really clear either,” says Ryglewski. “In the future, no more money may then be collected from private investors through publicly offered investments.” The ban on blind pools is the right step, says Stefan Loipfinger, an analyst at investmentcheck.de. But in his opinion the draft law is not enough to protect investors from fraud. “In future, the legislature will prevent providers from being allowed to sell products themselves. But it does not prevent investment brokering from taking place,” says Loipfinger.

The use of funds is to be monitored in the future

But at least: A case like the one at P&R, in which the company used the investors’ money for purposes other than intended, is no longer possible with the new law, explains Loipfinger. “Because there has to be a control of the use of funds who checks that an investor’s money actually flows into the investments, as stated in the prospectus.” For Stefan Schmidt from the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, the new draft law is a step in the right direction. “However, you have to look at this in detail again to see whether the measures are really sufficient or whether – from my Greens perspective – you don’t even have to go a little further.” In the end – everyone agrees – it is important that investors are well informed and advised on their behalf. The FDP member of the Bundestag Florian Toncar is calling for less bureaucracy. “More paper alone is not the solution. It is more that we talk about the quality of information, that we make it clearer and uniform for all product categories.” Clear information – that is exactly what well-informed investors need.