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Pandemic Mask Lawsuits Exceed Germany’s Budget Reserves

Disposal expenses topping €500 million have spurred the coalition to propose an expert commission instead of a parliamentary inquiry.

Wegen diverser Klagen von Maskenlieferanten während Corona könnte dem Bund ein Milliarden-Schaden drohen. Wie der "Spiegel" berichtete, räumte Gesundheitsministerin Warken ein, dass das Risiko aus den Klagen die Rücklagen des Bundes überschreiten würde.
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Overview

  • The Health Ministry’s 2020 procurement of 5.8 billion masks for €5.9 billion left more than half unused, creating disposal and storage costs of €517 million by 2024.
  • Suppliers have filed about 100 lawsuits seeking roughly €2.3 billion in unpaid contracts plus interest, with cases pending at the Federal Court of Justice and regional courts.
  • Minister Nina Warken told the budget committee that legal liabilities now surpass the federal reserve of €1.4 billion and conceded that the government’s defense strategy has fallen short.
  • Opposition Greens and Left factions are demanding a full parliamentary inquiry, but the CDU/CSUSPD coalition rejects it in favor of an expert commission.
  • The Bundesrechnungshof’s findings and hearings with special investigator Margaretha Sudhof are guiding Bundestag committees as they scrutinize pandemic-era procurement practices.