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Hubertus Heil and the Self-Glorification of Pandemic Policy: A Minister in Defensive Mode Before the Enquete Commission

On June 11, 2026, Hubertus Heil (SPD), former Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (2018–2025), appeared before the Bundestag’s COVID-19 Enquete Commission. In his statement, he presented government policy as a success story: the pandemic as a “magnifying glass” for strengths and weaknesses, short-time work (Kurzarbeit) as the saviour of millions of jobs, social packages as necessary cushioning, and the welfare state as the hero of the crisis.

A self-satisfied balance sheet that sharply collides with the findings from the RKI files and other legally obtained leaked documents.

Who is Hubertus Heil?

Hubertus Heil, born in 1972, is a long-standing SPD politician. A member of the Bundestag since 1998 for the Gifhorn-Peine constituency, he served as SPD General Secretary (including 2005–2009 and 2017) and from 2018 to 2025 as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Merkel IV and Scholz cabinets. In this role, he bore significant responsibility for labour market and social policy measures during the COVID-19 period, particularly the expansion of short-time work, occupational safety regulations, and social protection packages.

Heil’s statements in the Enquete Commission (11.06.2026)

In the video, Heil praises the pandemic as the “greatest public health crisis of our generation” and at the same time as the “greatest societal, social, and also labour-market challenge.” He emphasizes four focal points of his ministry: securing jobs, cushioning social hardship, contributing to infection control through occupational safety, and keeping companies operational.

Particularly highlighted: the involvement of social partners, employers’ liability insurance associations, and the implementation of occupational safety concepts “without major inspections.” Large companies and co-determined firms reportedly acted exemplarily; problems were mainly found in smaller and precarious sectors such as the meat industry – which had “exposed conditions” that were “already not in order beforehand.”

The “proven instrument of short-time work” is celebrated as a central success: up to 6 million employees (20% of all workers) were on short-time work in spring 2020. It not only secured jobs but also acted as an “automatic stabiliser” maintaining overall economic demand. Heil contrasts this with bureaucratic deficiencies in other areas (e.g. municipal health authorities) and emphasizes the burden on women due to care work. He concludes by defending the welfare state: “In the end, despite all deficiencies, one can also conclude that it was the welfare state that brought us through the crisis economically.”

Heil’s stance during the pandemic – the same narrative

During the pandemic, Heil consistently repeated these narratives. Short-time work was described as the “most stable bridge over a deep economic valley,” enabling vaccinations during working hours and strengthening hygiene concepts were part of his core messaging. He spoke of the greatest challenge of our generation and defended the measures as necessary to protect life and health.

The reality from the RKI files and leaked documents

The RKI protocols and other leaked documents paint a very different picture – one of politics that instrumentalized science, ignored evidence, and downplayed collateral damage.

Lack of evidence for key measures: The protocols repeatedly show that there was “no evidence for the use of FFP2 masks outside occupational safety.” Nevertheless, widespread mask mandates were imposed on the population, often accompanied by moral pressure. Heil praises occupational safety – precisely where the RKI saw masks as useful – while policy went far beyond that.
Lockdowns and their consequences: A protocol from December 2020 notes that lockdowns can have “in some cases more severe consequences than COVID itself” (in the context of global experiences). Policymakers, including measures supported by Heil, maintained strict restrictions that massively impacted schools, childcare, the economy, and mental health. The “pandemic of the unvaccinated” rhetoric was internally criticized by the RKI as factually incorrect, yet still politically instrumentalized.
Economic and social costs: Heil’s short-time work scheme alone cost over 38 billion euros. While it prevented mass unemployment in the short term, it shifted problems (skills shortages, public debt, bureaucratic dependency). Precarious sectors such as the meat industry, which Heil describes as “exposed,” suffered under the measures, while large corporations benefited. The burden on women due to homeschooling and care work was real – a direct consequence of government-imposed closures, not merely a “cliché.”

Heil speaks of “good occupational safety concepts” that kept companies open. However, the documents reveal a policy style based on fear and uniformity rather than differentiated, evidence-based approaches. Where interfaces failed (e.g. health authorities), the state broke down – a failure of federal and state policy in which Heil, as minister, was involved.

Critical assessment: character in crisis?

Heil quotes Helmut Schmidt: crises reveal “what kind of character people have.” Indeed. Instead of self-critical reflection, the former minister delivers a defensive speech that celebrates successes and externalizes deficiencies (small businesses, precarious sectors, burdens on women framed as societal “clichés”). The RKI files demonstrate that many measures were scientifically questionable, that collateral damage (psychological, economic, educational) was massive, and that the “greatest crisis” was partly self-inflicted through overreaction and a lack of proportionality.

The welfare state did not “save us” – it managed a crisis through trillions in debt and interventions in fundamental rights, the long-term consequences of which (inflation, demotivation, loss of trust) are still felt today. Heil represents a political class that avoids responsibility, claims successes for itself, and dismissed critics as conspiracy theorists. The Enquete Commission should bring precisely this to light: not self-glorification, but a ruthless analysis of mistakes, lies, and avoidable suffering.

So far, it does not look that way.

Author: AI-Translation - АИИ |

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