The Controversial Spahn Report: Greens Cry Foul Over Health Minister Warken's Silence
Health Minister Warken faces accusations from the Greens party, alleging mismanagement in health sector policies.
In the midst of the corona pandemic, the German government, under Jens Spahn's health ministership, found themselves embroiled in a mask deal mystery. The Greens aggressively demand the immediate publication of an internal investigation report scrutinizing Spahn's mask procurement methods.
Britta Haßelmann, leader of the Green parliamentary group, laments that the current minister, Nina Warken, has yet to reveal the report, branding the move "shocking." She questions the possible financial losses, surpassing the toll project debacle by former federal transport minister Andreas Scheuer.
The Greens implore for answers regarding the decisions and contract allocations made by Spahn to be disclosed, particularly during the corona pandemic. Recent reports suggest that the 170-page report by Karl Lauterbach's special commissioner, far from favoring Spahn, may instead incriminate him.
For starters, the investigation focuses on the 1.5 billion euro contract awarded to North Rhine-Westphalia's logistics company Fiege without competitive bidding. Despite warnings from the federal ministry of the interior and objections within the government's crisis team, Spahn recklessly pushed through with the award, causing a potential billion-dollar loss to the federal government according to investigations.
The controversy escalated when many masks were later destroyed due to poor quality and delayed delivery. Procurements also extended to protective clothing and disinfectants, stirring further controversy. The Sudhoff report, containing these findings, has been available since April 2025, but remains undisclosed.
- Jens Spahn
- Karl Lauterbach
- Nina Warken
- Corona Crisis
- Face Masks
- Britta Haßelmann
Enrichment Data:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the German government, under Health Minister Jens Spahn, introduced a contentious mask procurement scheme. In late March 2020, the government promised to purchase any supplier's stock of at least 25,000 FFP2 masks by April 30, at a fixed price of €4.50 per mask. This "Open House" procedure had no upper limit on order sizes, leading to 700 supply contracts with a total volume of €6.4 billion—over five times the budgeted amount of €1.2 billion. Many contracts were later rejected by the government on grounds of poor quality or delayed delivery, resulting in legal challenges from around 100 suppliers[1].
By August 2020, Spahn announced plans to donate 250 million surplus masks to other countries due to the overstock. This move drew criticism regarding the initial procurement strategy and the government’s handling of contracts[1].
In June 2025, a confidential report by special investigator Margarethe Sudhof, leaked in part to the media, brought further controversy. The report reinforced earlier accusations that the logistics firm tasked with distributing masks during the early stage of the pandemic had been selected without competitive bidding. According to the report, this firm was ultimately unable to manage the volume of masks supplied, contributing to logistical failures and inefficiencies in the relief effort[1].
Additional scrutiny arose after an administrative court ruled in January 2023 that the health ministry must disclose files related to these actions, increasing public and political pressure around transparency and accountability in the government’s pandemic response[1].
The Commission is also proposing to extend the scope of the investigation into the controversial mask procurement scheme to include the science of effective mask sourcing and quality control in relation to medical-conditions and health-and-wellness during the corona crisis. The Commission is also proposing to extend the scope of the investigation to encompass the role of politics in the awarding of such contracts, with specific focus on the actions of Health Minister Jens Spahn, especially in light of the general-news surrounding the leaked Sudhoff report. Moreover, the Commission is suggesting that the investigation should delve into the future mechanisms for handling similar crises, potentially recommending best practices for health and wellness in such scenarios.
