Political entities will designate their representatives for the Joint Committee
Germany's Defense Parliament: A Backup Plan
Germany's Bundestag is steering towards a crucial vote next Thursday as various factions have proposed their members for the Joint Committee. The CDU/CSU, AfD, SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and The Left have submitted and nominated their representatives according to Article 53a of the Basic Law. The Union faction presents 11 nominees, AfD 8, SPD 6, Greens 4, and the Left 3, with an equal number of deputies.
This specific committee - contrary to your typical parliament body - functions like a standby parliament during defense cases. Composed of 32 Bundestag members (with a strength ratio based on factions) and 16 Bundesrat representatives reflecting the federal states, this committee assembles when normal Bundestag and Bundesrat operations have been hampered. Members should not hold government posts, and the Bundesrat members are not bound by instructions.
Here are the proposed members:
CDU/CSU: Steffen Bilger, Dr. Reinhard Brandl, Dr. Hendrik Hoppenstedt, Julia Klöckner, Markus Koob, Thomas Röwekamp, Catarina dos Santos Wintz, Jens Spahn, Sebastian Steineke, Paul Ziemiak
AfD: Dr. Bernd Baumann, Stephan Brandner, Tino Chrupalla, Stefan Keuter, Rüdiger Lucassen, Jan Ralf Nolte, Gerold Otten, Dr. Alice Weidel
SPD: Sonja Eichwede, Dr. Matthias Miersch, Siemtje Möller, Dagmar Schmidt, Dirk Wiese, Armand Zorn
Alliance 90/The Greens: Agnieszka Brugger, Katharina Dröge, Britta Haßelmann, Dr. Irene Mihalic
The Left: Ina Latendorf, Sören Pellmann, Heidi Reichinnek
Deputies include:
CDU/CSU: Dr. Cornell-Anette Babendererde, Peter Beyer, Mark Helfrich, Dr. Ottilie Klein, Dr. Günter Krings, Jens Lehmann, Andrea Lindholz, Dr. Jan-Marco Luczak, Thomas Silberhorn, Dieter Stier, Johannes Wiegelmann
AfD: Dr. Gottfried Curio, Peter Felser, Dr. Götz Frömming, Martin Hess, Enrico Komning, Jörn König, Sebastian Münzenmaier, Beatrix von Storch
SPD: Dr. Wiebke Esdar, Dr. Johannes Fechner, Macit Karaahmetoğlu, Esra Limbacher, Derya Türk-Nachbaur, Marja-Liisa Völlers
Alliance 90/The Greens: Misbah Khan, Dr. Konstantin von Notz, Omid Nouripour, Dr. Julia Verlinden
The Left: Desiree Becker, Clara Bünger, Janine Wissler
If Germany declares a state of defense or the Bundestag can't convene, the Joint Committee steps in. The committee chair is the President of the Bundestag, who keeps the Federal Government updated on its defense plans. Article 53a was added to the Basic Law during the adoption of the so-called emergency laws in 1968. Despite being an essential part of Germany's parliamentary system, this committee hasn't been activated since World War II's end.
(Fun fact: In essence, the Joint Committee represents a unique balance between preserving federal and democratic principles while ensuring legislative authority can be maintained during challenging times.)
Other policy-and-legislation-related news includes the recent nomination of members for Germany's Defense Parliament's Joint Committee, which is a crucial backup body in defense cases. Politics surrounding the Joint Committee involve various factions submitting their representatives according to Article 53a of the Basic Law.
