Army

Use without a parliamentary decision?

The Bundeswehr is a Parlamentsarmee. However, in the future, the government on certain overseas missions to decide. The Opposition in Parliament sounds the Alarm. They fear a loss of power of the Parliament.

Only the consent of the Parliament, then the placement abroad: German soldiers on the way to Incirlik

If the government of the German soldiers in the foreign missions wants to send, the Bundestag has to agree. The so-called “Parlamentsbeteiligungsgesetz”, which it regulates, is now to be reformed. The Bundestag debated on Friday in the first reading on the new bill, the various exceptions allow want in “Ausbildungsmissionen in a safe environment,” “the logistic support, without reference to hostilities” or “observer missions of the United Nations”, as it is in the text of the law means.

More leeway for the Executive branch

In the future, the government may so make some bets without the lengthy parliamentary procedure to take. “So we can respond quickly and flexibly to the crisis of the 21. Century respond”, said the CDU-Verteidigungspolitiker Hans-Peter Uhl. The government should on the other hand, the Bundestag, in future, considerably faster and more comprehensive over all of the missions, for the first time about the geheimhaltungsbedürftigen missions of the special forces command.

The overall balance of the government parties is a positive one: “In many Places, we have the parliamentary rights to be expanded and clarified”, said Rainer Arnold, the SPD Chairman of the defense Committee. The CDU-Verteidigungsexperte Roderich Kiesewetter praised the “balanced solution”, the Parlamentsvorbehalt strength.

Defense Minister von der Leyen is asking the Federal Parliament to consent to the deployment of German Tornados over Syria

Less voice for Parliament?

On great discomfort, the bill at the Opposition. “Questionable” is the Green Frithjof Schmidt, the list of the events, the government in the future without the consent of the Parliament should be able to. “The jurisprudence of the Federal constitutional court, commits us to a review of the individual case,” said the Verteidigungspolitiker. It works in practice, not a specific type of Mission from the outset of this examination is exempt. The control of the Parliament would by the new law weakened.

Also the Left sees in the bill a trial, the rights of Parliament to be circumcised. “Without exception, all assignments belong to the Bundestag, because the military is a highly dangerous political Instrument,” said the Verteidigungspolitiker Alexander New. The Federal government did seem to have an Overview of the many missions lost, surmised New, its group, none of the current 16 missions has agreed to.

Controversial from the outset

The fierce resistance of the Opposition has also with the Genesis of the bill to do, on the proposals of a Commission under the leadership of the former defence Minister Volker Rühe (CDU) is based. Rühe also had Green and Left to join the. The both had parties rejected on the ground that the panel was a “government Commission” with the aim of assumed, the rights of Parliament to limit. So sat at the end next to professionals, the only politician from the government parties in the Commission.

Volker Rühe (middle), the Commission

Opposition parties see themselves in their scepticism, now by a further passage in the law is confirmed: Accordingly, the need in the future, the deployment of German soldiers in multinational headquarters or staffs of Nato or the EU are expressly not require the consent of the Bundestag more.

For the SPD and the CDU/CSU is a logical consequence of the sicherheitspoltischen developments of the last decade. Which is characterized by a progressive Bündnisintegration, among which are the long lasting deployment of military capabilities, or personnel for the tasks of the Nato strikes.

Doubts about the reliability

In the eyes of the allies, Germany has not always as a reliable Partner proven: put the Federal government during the Libya operation, the German crews from the AWACS Aufklärungsflugzeugen the Nato back. A step, the Germany, nor long for, because without the German crews of the AWACS are not long sustainable.

The new law is here the necessary continuity guarantee, as long as the soldiers are “not in the area of armed conflict”. It go, so Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU), to not less than “the capacity to act of the Federal Republic of Germany in international cooperation and to maintain the reliability”.

The headquarters and staffs, to take out, was “political nonsense,” says, in contrast, Frithjof Schmidt, Verteidigungspolitiker the Green. “Planning and commands should, by law nothing more with the use on site will have to do – who do you want to the because believe?”, asked Schmidt. Further dispute over the “Holy cow” Parlamentsvorbehalt is, according to this controversial debate, so programmed.