Germany imposed an export ban on protective equipment.

Omissions

• The claim omits the temporal context: the export ban was imposed on 4 March 2020 as an emergency COVID-19 measure and was lifted shortly thereafter (around 19 March 2020). Mentioning this without the time period in a 2026 parliamentary session could misleadingly suggest it is a current or permanent policy.
• The claim does not specify that the ban covered medical/personal protective equipment rather than all protective equipment broadly, nor that it was a temporary crisis measure during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The MEP cited no source for the claim. All sources confirming this are from 2020, meaning the data is over five years old relative to the 2026 session.

Sources

• SecondaryGlobal Trade AlertOn 4 March 2020, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy issued a decree imposing an export ban on certain personal protective equipment including protective masks, gloves and garments in response to COVID-19.
• SecondaryReutersGermany has lifted export bans on medical equipment which were issued earlier this month to avoid shortages of masks, goggles and gloves. The article confirms the export ban existed and was imposed in March 2020.
• SecondaryBaker McKenzie – Global Compliance NewsA general decree was issued on 4 March 2020, and further updated on 12 March 2020, that prohibited the export and intra-EU transfer of specific type of medicinal protective gear. These restrictions were repealed on 19 March 2020.