Weekly developments in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
In Germany, the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) continues to be a cornerstone of the nation's response to the ongoing pandemic. The Act, last amended on 10 December 2021, included a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health workers in hospitals and other health facilities.
Regulations in the field of occupational health protection persist, including occupational protection concepts and employer's assumption of costs for corona tests. Moreover, the amended IfSG continues to regulate the nationwide mask requirement in public transportation.
However, the current status of the Bill to amend the IfSG concerning nationwide mask mandates and local hotspot regulation remains unclear or unreported in available sources up to August 2025. It appears that no new Bill has been finalized or heavily modified these aspects recently, or the matter is still under debate or has been left to regional discretion without a binding nationwide update.
Meanwhile, other aspects of the IfSG are clearer. For instance, the terms "vaccination", "recovery", and "test certificates" will be defined in the IfSG. If necessary, patients may be treated in prevention and rehabilitation facilities. Monitoring of vaccination quotas will be made permanent for stationary care facilities.
In the economic sphere, the Social Services Deployment Act (SodEG) is being extended to continue providing social services. The German government is reducing the EEG surcharge from 3.723 cents/kWh to zero as of July 1, 2022. A one-time heating cost subsidy is being decided to help people with low incomes. The early reduction of the EEG surcharge will not be considered in price formation for new contracts starting July 1, 2022. Electricity suppliers will be required to separately indicate the amount by which the electricity bill has been reduced due to the lowered EEG surcharge in the next bill.
The revenue losses for transmission network operators will be covered by the Energy and Climate Fund (EKF) with around 6.6 billion euros. The government coalitions are introducing a bill that will require gas storage operators to meet certain minimum filling levels at specified dates. If storage users do not use the capacities they have booked, these capacities can be withdrawn from them and made available to the Market Area Coordinator.
In the realm of media policy, the Federal Government's Media and Communications Report provides information on its media policy guidelines and explores how incentives can be created to foster the emergence of cooperative media platforms.
As the pandemic continues, it is crucial to stay informed about the latest developments in Germany's response. For precise and recent details, it would be advisable to consult official German government publications or legislative tracking tools actively updated beyond these summary sources.
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