Simone Borchardt Expected to Become Health Spokesperson for CDU/CSU

Simone Borchardt, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is anticipated to be appointed as the new health spokesperson for the Union faction in the German Bundestag. This development has been reported by various news outlets, indicating that her selection is widely considered a certainty.

In a profile piece, Borchardt is characterized as a reserved yet competent expert in health matters, similar to her colleagues from the Christian Social Union (CSU), Stephan Pilsinger and Emmi Zeulner. She will succeed Tino Sorge, who has transitioned to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) as a parliamentary state secretary, alongside Georg Kippels.

Furthermore, former Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach is set to become a full member of the Committee for Research, Technology, and Space, as disclosed in a recent agenda presented by the SPD parliamentary group. Lauterbach had previously announced his departure from the new health committee.

New faces in the health committee include economist Tanja Machalet, who has been a Bundestag member since 2021 and previously served in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament. Additionally, Serdar Yüksel, a newcomer to the Bundestag, will also be participating in the committee for the first time. The parliamentary group's proposals are expected to be discussed and voted on today.

Notable figures from the health sector will also be part of the new committee. Health and digitalization expert Matthias Mieves is set to join, as well as Sabine Dittmar, who served as parliamentary state secretary at the BMG during the last legislative term and will now be a deputy member of the health committee. SPD parliamentary deputy Dagmar Schmidt, who oversees health matters within the group, will also serve in this capacity.

Christos Pantazis, who has been the deputy health spokesperson for the SPD since 2022, is listed as a member of the new health committee. With the former SPD health spokesperson Heike Baehrens not running for the new Bundestag, Pantazis is seen as a strong candidate for the spokesperson position.