„Let’s Talk About Law“ – The Interactive Discussion Series: Crisis and Law – The Legal Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The next installment of the interactive discussion series „Let’s Talk About Law“ will take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., at the Leipzig office of the Forum Recht Foundation. This time, the focus will be on the law in times of crisis, using the (legal) response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. The guest speaker is Prof. Dr. Andrea Kießling, professor of public law, social and health law, and immigration law at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and director of the Institute for European Health Policy and Social Law, as well as the journalist Malte Spitz, co-founder and secretary general of the Society for Civil Liberties (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte e.V.), as well as a political consultant and freelance data protection officer.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped our daily lives for several years. The consequences of the pandemic and the legal measures taken to address it continue to have an impact to this day. In some cases, infection control measures have led to hardships that courts have subsequently deemed unreasonable. The discourse surrounding the pandemic has led to social upheaval. There are still ongoing administrative and judicial proceedings seeking to resolve legal conflicts from that period.

In a conversation with the host Susann Böttcher (MDR aktuell) shed light on Prof. Dr. Andrea Kießling and Malte Spitz including how the legal system in Germany and internationally has responded to the pandemic. In addition, the panel discussion will examine the principle of proportionality—often invoked during the crisis—and seek to explain what role the law plays and can play in coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic. These and other fascinating questions will be addressed during the discussion. You are cordially invited to participate in the discussion.

Guests

Since May 2022, Andrea Kießling Professor of Public Law, Social and Health Law, and Immigration Law at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Since February 2023, she has served as Executive Director of the Institute for European Health Policy and Social Law (ineges) there. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was regularly invited by the German Bundestag to serve as an expert on amendments to the Infection Protection Act. She is active in numerous academic and public committees, including the German Bundestag’s Enquete Commission on „Assessing the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lessons for Future Pandemic Events,“ the Leopoldina’s scientific commission „Healthcare System in Transition,“ and the Health Advisory Board of the City of Frankfurt am Main. In addition, she is a member of several professional associations, including the Association of German Professors of Constitutional Law, the Migration Law Network, and the German Association for Social Law.

Photo: Frank Hisam, copyright held by Ms. Kießling

Photo: Bernhard Leitner

Moderated by

This year, the journalist and host will be hosting the Leipzig editions of „Let’s Talk About Law“ Susann Böttcher. She is a host on news radio, for podcasts, and on stage. A law graduate, she covers a wide range of topics—from politics and health to business and sports. She can be heard regularly on the Bundesliga program and on ARD’s discussion show „Mitreden! Deutschland diskutiert.“ Most recently, she hosted ARD’s Olympic Evening.

Photo: Falko Simon

Get involved!

We want to know what you think about this topic! If you can’t attend the event in Leipzig and join the discussion, please share your thoughts with us via our participation platform. We’ll forward them to the moderator. The deadline for submissions is June 14. There, you can also view and comment on questions posted by other participants.

Click here to go directly to the survey on the participation platform!

(Clicking this link will redirect you directly—without any intermediate steps—to another website operated by the Forum Recht Foundation, https://beteiligung-forum-recht.de/.)

About the Event Series