Overview
- The Bundestag president, Julia Klöckner, sent a sharp written reprimand to Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei that was dated Wednesday, asking him to ensure ministries meet agreed or statutory reply deadlines.
- Klöckner criticized a growing pattern in recent weeks of multiple extension requests and of agreed extensions not being honoured, and the Bundestag press office has confirmed the letter's existence.
- Opposition groups flagged the problem earlier and reporting repeatedly singled out the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs under Minister Katherina Reiche for late answers; a government representative had acknowledged 'bottlenecks' in that ministry.
- Under normal rules, ministries must answer 'small questions' from MPs within 14 days unless both sides agree an extension, a process that Klöckner said must be reliable for parliament to do its oversight job.
- If the Kanzleramt does not secure faster replies, MPs will have less timely information to scrutinize policy and lawmakers and media will likely step up pressure on individual ministries and on the Chancellery to show concrete fixes.