600 voices on COVID-19
600 voices on COVID-19
More than six years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German Bundestag wants to hear from citizens about their experiences. Four randomly selected citizens’ assemblies, each comprising 150 participants, are due to meet in autumn 2026. The first date has now been confirmed: the series will begin in Wolfsburg on 10 October.
The Bundestag officially calls the events “regional dialogue forums”. Citizens will be randomly selected to reflect different sections of society, deliberate together and develop recommendations for the Enquete Commission on “Reviewing the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons for future pandemic events”.
Opening meeting in Wolfsburg
The citizens’ assembly in Wolfsburg is expected to last one day. Participants will discuss their experiences during the pandemic and use them to develop recommendations. A documentation team will record the results. The citizens will then select representatives for a joint closing event at the Bundestag.
Neither the cities nor the dates have yet been announced for the other three citizens’ assemblies. So far, the Bundestag has said only that one event will be held in each of Germany’s northern, eastern, southern and western regions. The time, venue and programme of the Wolfsburg assembly also remain unknown. www.bundestag.de
Organisational preparations are already under way. The Bundestag issued a public tender for the design, preparation, delivery and follow-up of the four citizens’ assemblies. The planned contract period runs from 1 June 2026 to 15 January 2027. The Bundestag has not yet announced which organisation was awarded the overall contract. files.auftrag-select.com
Invitations based on random selection
The Erfurt-based market research institute drei.fakt is involved in selecting and contacting citizens. The institute states on its website: “The aim is to bring together people with different experiences and perspectives and to form a balanced cross-section of the population.” Selection is based on a statistical random procedure, while participation is voluntary. dreifakt.de
A notice issued in the town of Warin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania shows how the first stage of the selection process works. A total of 244 adult citizens were randomly selected and contacted personally. Random selection therefore begins with the initial approach rather than taking place only among people who have volunteered to participate. ol.wittich.de
It is not yet known how many citizens will be invited in total or which criteria will be used to compose the final groups. Each citizens’ assembly is expected to comprise 150 people and reflect the diversity of society. Groups that were particularly affected by the pandemic are to receive additional representation.
“Understand, not condemn”
The citizens’ assemblies will examine experiences that continue to be assessed in very different ways: school closures, contact restrictions, vaccinations, conditions in hospitals and care facilities, and the economic, social and psychological consequences of the pandemic.
Franziska Hoppermann, who chaired the Enquete Commission until September 2026, described the guiding principle of the parliamentary review in the following terms: “We want to understand, not condemn.” Political decisions, social consequences and the role of science would have to be examined in a nuanced manner. The aim, she said, was a constructive review rather than an exercise in assigning blame. www.cducsu.de
Her successor, Michael Hose, said that the pandemic had left deep scars. The commission’s task was to “build bridges and strengthen social cohesion once again”. www.welt.de
Bringing everyday judgment into the Bundestag
Citizens’ assembly specialists had called for public involvement even before the Enquete Commission was established. In July 2025, Jacob Birkenhäger justified this demand by pointing to the direct effects of political decisions: “Citizens should be involved because the pandemic measures had, and continue to have, a massive impact on their lives.” nexusinstitut.de
Roman Huber, executive director of Mehr Demokratie, put his demand more forcefully: “Politicians and scientists cannot be left to decide among themselves what politicians and scientists got wrong.” www.mehr-demokratie.de
In a policy paper, nexus and Mehr Demokratie had proposed a multi-stage participatory process. It was intended to combine regional deliberations, online participation and the subsequent presentation of the results to the Enquete Commission. The process now being prepared by the Bundestag consists of four regional citizens’ assemblies followed by a joint closing event. The procedural information published so far does not mention any form of public online participation.
Handover in January 2027
In January 2027, representatives of the four citizens’ assemblies are expected to gather for a closing event at the Bundestag. They will present their results to the Enquete Commission. An exact date has not yet been announced.
The Enquete Commission intends to use the citizens’ experiences and views in its work. Its final report is due to be completed by the end of June 2027 and is expected to contain recommendations for preparing for and managing future pandemics.
So far, there has been no binding commitment to include particular recommendations from the citizens’ assemblies in the final report. It also remains unclear whether, and in what form, the Enquete Commission will subsequently explain which proposals it has accepted or rejected.