Regional leaders shun Merkel over ‘cautious’ approach

ANGELA MERKEL has been largely sidelined from discussions on ending the lockdown after regional governments vowed to go their own way.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the German chancellor has worked to build a national consensus on tackling the virus. But under Germany’s federal constitution, it is the 16 regional state governments that have the final say on lockdown measures, and this week they moved to assert their control, effectively tearing up a plan put forward by Ms Merkel for gradual further loosening in June.

“The responsibility now lies with the regional prime ministers and district councils,” Winfried Kretschmann, the regional leader of Baden-Wurttemberg, said.

“No further discussions are planned with the chancellor.”

There is still no sign of a second wave six weeks after Germany began loosening its lockdown, and many regional leaders have grown impatient with Ms Merkel’s cautious approach.

Authorities in the eastern state of Thuringia have gone so far as to suggest they could end lockdown completely when the current rules expire next week – though the regional government has since backtracked.

Ms Merkel opened the way for this week’s move when she chose not to hold her regular video conference with regional leaders. She has used previous talks to persuade state governments to sign up to a national lockdown regime, but the discussions have been fraught and Ms Merkel appears to have tired of the bickering, telling aides she “didn’t want to put herself through that again”.

Instead, she ordered her chief of staff, Helge Braun, to hammer out a new set of measures with the regional governments.

After days of talks, they rejected most of his proposals and announced they intended to make their own rules.

Germany has already lifted most of its lockdown restrictions, allowing schools, shops, restaurants and hotels to reopen. But it now faces a patchwork of different regional regulations.