Policy

In the shadow of the sport: If laws are beside the point

Higher VAT and health insurance contributions, stricter reporting law: in the past, in the shadow of soccer tournaments controversial laws were passed. Coincidence or political calculation?

Germany is in a frenzy of joy. “La Team”
get the group victory in the preliminary round, in the second round of the football championship and all are eagerly awaiting the next Play. Because political decisions may have been times in the Background.

On Friday, the Bundestag will vote on the final decision on the controversial Fracking law.
After a year of dispute in the Grand coalition, it is now pretty fast. The Green-energy politicians Julia Verlinden, criticized the Grand coalition wool decide the law “in the wind shadow of Brexit poll and football championship”.

That controversial laws during sporting large approved events, in Germany, almost a Tradition.

World Cup 2006: A summer fairy tale with VAT increase

It’s a summer of football that will go down as a fairy tale in the story. In 2006 Germany hosted the football world Cup, the whole country is in a frenzy. The team under Jürgen Klinsmann beats Poland on 14. June 1:0, on 20. June a 3:0 against Costa Rica. The team wins games all of the preliminary round.

Somewhere in between, at 16. June, gives the Federal Council the green light for the increase of the VAT from 16 percent to 19 percent. As Of January 2007. It is the largest tax increase in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Millions of Fans cheer at the world Cup in their own country

World Cup 2010: health insurance contribution is expected to rise

The football world Cup in South Africa. “’54, ’74, ’90, 2010, Yes we all join in. With the heart in Hand and passion in the leg we will be world Champions.” – up to the semi-finals, German Fans sing the “sports friends-Silent”song. The football nation is optimistic. Then the 7 comes out. July.

The German national team leaves in a bitter 1:0 against the eventual Champions, Spain, just before the Finale. The day before the defeat of the German Bundestag agreed on a comprehensive package of measures to the health policy. As a result, the contribution rate for the statutory health insurance is increasing from 14.9 to 15.5 percent.

Euro 2012: Controversial registration act in 57 seconds

Nearly 28 million viewers, on 28. June 2012 in front of the screens, such as Germany fights in the European championship semi-final against Italy, and eventually retires. In the Bundestag have gathered meanwhile, all the 26 members out of a total of 620. Agenda item 21: a bill to continue development of the reporting system. The Talk will be given only to the Protocol, not delivered.

Within 57 seconds of the Bundestag decides on a law, according to the Offices of the personal data of citizens, companies are allowed to enter, unless the data subjects have not previously expressly contradicted. A severe curtailment of citizen rights.

Please report with quite a few members of seconds quickly became the controversial registration act, waved through

The original bill had provided for a much more consumer-friendly solution. But it was changed shortly before the vote from the Committee. “Since raced, it was a draft law by the Bundestag as Balotelli by the German defense”, and later in a comment by ZDF television presenter Claus Kleber.

It took, however, his time to the Public the consequences of the vote were really clear. Only after the EM a wave of criticism broke over the battered law. In September, it was overturned eventually by the Federal Council and renegotiated.

Coincidence or calculation?

Because of such Experiences, the question always comes back: the politics of sporting Highlights-conscious, to pass controversial laws secretly, quietly, without the euphorisierte fan noticed?

Philipp Köster, editor-in-chief of the football magazine “11 friends”, said in an Interview with the German radio during the last world Cup: “You could actually bring any subject, no matter when and where. The main thing is that, it is during a football game. I think the most impossible laws to be brought through, just because the football is on.”

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Grand coalition agrees on Fracking law

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Germany win the group

The German Eleven wins high earned against Northern Ireland and attracts scores as a group first to the second round. A German sets a new record. Also Poland and Northern Ireland. (21.06.2016)

Parliament or Public Viewing?

Playing football in front of the Reichstag – this is for the deputies in the budget week in question. Watching soccer but today is also on the agenda. (26.06.2014)

Deputy – overloaded and overridden

In a rush was heard in the Bundestag on further support for Greece. The members barely had time to deal with the facts. Your workload is hardly able to handle more. (30.11.2012)

Said this allegation Christine Lambrecht, parliamentary Manager of the SPD group in the Bundestag, Deutsche Welle: “The idea that it is possible in our time would be in the wind shadow of the big events politically unpleasant decisions, largely unnoticed by the match, fails to recognize the realities.”

The politician argued: “Our decisions must always be transparent and well justified, to a – fortunately – to be able to awake and critical Public seed.”

“Not a wise approach”

The temporal Overlap of sports and politics, it is striking nevertheless. An explanation for Sebastian Christian. He is parliamentary correspondent for the “Huffington Post” and knows the political life in Berlin.

“Unfortunately, the big football tournaments to coincide with the start of the parliamentary summer break,” says a Christian in the DW-interview. You mean: the drafts do not lie around for months, you will be passed often, quickly before the break. As a result, in the view of Christ and the false impression that the Bundestag wool in a rush, undesirable laws by beat.

Nevertheless, the Journalist in some of the votes surprised: “What is striking is that in regular intervals unpopular law pronounced projects for the Bundestag to pass, when half the Republic is busy with football,” he says: “That’s not very smart – especially in times in which the policy loses its confidence.”