German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged the new government to conduct a comprehensive review of the country's COVID-19 response policies.

In a recent interview with Stern magazine, Steinmeier emphasized the need for this analysis to restore public confidence in democratic processes.

He indicated that if the incoming government and Bundestag do not prioritize this task, he would consider forming an independent commission to initiate the process.

Steinmeier's call comes amid high public expectations for an evaluation of Germany's pandemic management strategies, which have not yet undergone a thorough review.

These strategies include measures such as mask mandates, vaccination rollouts, and the temporary closure of schools and businesses.

Despite Germany marking five years since its first confirmed COVID-19 cases, consensus on an official evaluation method has not been reached, partly due to disagreements within the ruling coalition during the previous legislative period.

Proposed approaches, including parliamentary inquiry committees and citizen councils, were unable to be formalized.

The president underscored that the focus of the review should not be on assigning blame but on understanding which actions were effective, which were not, and extracting lessons to improve transparency and accountability.

He warned that neglecting this analysis could lead to an increase in populist rhetoric and further erode trust in governmental institutions.

Steinmeier also shared personal experiences from the pandemic, noting his own period of quarantine to protect his wife, Elke Büdenbender, due to her health vulnerabilities following a kidney transplant.

Additionally, he referenced historical insights from Laura Spinney’s book, '1918: The World in Fever,' which details the global impact of the Spanish flu pandemic and highlights age-old practices in combating pandemics like contact restrictions that predate vaccines and modern therapeutics.