§ 22 — Work · Political Positions

Positions, on the record.

Eleven policy fields, each set out in six parts. Documented positions — what Hubig or her ministry has said or proposed — are marked separately from editorial context and analysis.

Documented position Analysis / context

Stefanie Hubig in a dark dress walking and talking with a tall man in a dark suit outdoors in Berlin, with greenery behind them. — In Berlin with party colleagues.

01Rule of law

1 · Issue: Public trust in democratic institutions and the capacity of the courts.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedStrengthen the rule of law through resources: staff, digitalisation and faster procedure; describes spending on justice as an investment in freedom (Bundestag, 10 Sep 2026).
3 · Context: AnalysisCourts are run by the Länder; federal influence works through funding and procedural law.
4 · Arguments: Visible, functioning justice counters disillusionment with democracy.
5 · Counterarguments: Temporary federal money shifts long-term costs to the Länder.
6 · Current status: Pact adopted, June 2026

02Justice

1 · Issue: Long proceedings and access to court for small claims.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedRaise the local-court threshold to €10,000, pilot online civil procedure, set up a commission to accelerate criminal trials.
3 · Context: AnalysisValue thresholds had not kept pace with inflation; digital filing lagged other EU states.
4 · Arguments: More cases heard locally, cheaper and faster.
5 · Counterarguments: Procedure cannot substitute for staff; acceleration must not cut defence rights.
6 · Current status: Threshold & pilot in force

03Consumer protection

1 · Issue: Manipulative online design and rights that are hard to exercise.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedWithdrawal button for online contracts; fairness online means protection against practices that mislead, manipulate or create addiction (Feb 2026); resale-price cap for tickets announced.
3 · Context: AnalysisMost consumer law is EU-harmonised; national room for manoeuvre is limited.
4 · Arguments: Restores balance between one-click purchase and real exit options.
5 · Counterarguments: Compliance costs for businesses; preference for EU-wide rather than national rules.
6 · Current status: Withdrawal button applies

04Digitalisation

1 · Issue: Fragmented, slow digitalisation of the courts.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedFederal co-funding of a joint justice cloud and portal (€210m, 2027–29); AI may support but not replace judicial decisions (JuMiKo statement, June 2025).
3 · Context: AnalysisElectronic files became mandatory in 2026, with an opt-out to 2027.
4 · Arguments: Shared IT is cheaper and more secure than sixteen systems.
5 · Counterarguments: Delays; questions over judicial independence in shared IT.
6 · Current status: In construction

05Criminal law

1 · Issue: Identification of offenders online; new forms of digital and sexual violence.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedThree-month IP-address storage; new offences for sexualised deepfakes; higher penalties for K.o.-drug offences; proposal to treat killings of women because they are women as murder.
3 · Context: AnalysisEarlier data-retention laws failed in court; CJEU permits only narrow IP retention.
4 · Arguments: Investigators lose traces; victims of digital violence lack remedies.
5 · Counterarguments: Mass storage without suspicion; symbolic criminal law; no regulatory gap (bar associations).
6 · Current status: Several bills in process

06Victim protection

1 · Issue: Breaches of protection orders in domestic-violence cases.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedElectronic monitoring on the Spanish model and anti-violence training — “no miracle cure”, but Germany lagged behind.
3 · Context: AnalysisOver 250,000 domestic-violence cases a year; monitoring requires state infrastructure.
4 · Arguments: Alerts before, not after, a breach.
5 · Counterarguments: Does not replace risk management and shelter funding.
6 · Current status: Adopted; applies 2027

07Family law

1 · Issue: Custody and contact rules that do not reflect current family life or violence.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedDraft of May 2026: violence to be weighed in custody decisions; joint custody default for unmarried parents; three care models without preference.
3 · Context: AnalysisCore of current law dates from 1998.
4 · Arguments: Flexibility for families; better child protection.
5 · Counterarguments: Violence protection remains discretionary (Greens).
6 · Current status: Draft bill

08Housing & tenant protection

1 · Issue: Rising rents in tight markets and ways around the rent brake.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedRent brake extended to 2029 — “not a cure-all, but it works”; caps on index rents and furnished-flat surcharges.
3 · Context: AnalysisRental regulation does not itself create housing; construction policy lies with another ministry.
4 · Arguments: Protects tenants against sharp increases.
5 · Counterarguments: Landlords: discourages private investment.
6 · Current status: Package II in Bundestag

09European law

1 · Issue: Judicial independence in Europe; cross-border justice.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedInternational law as an achievement of humanity — no state stands outside the law (The Hague, Feb 2026); Germany must also keep strengthening its independent judiciary (July 2025).
3 · Context: AnalysisEU directives drive much of the ministry’s consumer legislation.
4 · Arguments: Common rules strengthen enforcement across borders.
5 · Counterarguments: National discretion narrowed; CJEU limits on data retention.
6 · Current status: Several directives transposed

10Constitutional rights

1 · Issue: Extremist pressure on courts and judicial elections.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedLay judges must commit to the constitution; prevent blocking of judicial elections (June 2026); courts may remove eligibility for office after incitement convictions.
3 · Context: Analysis“Defensive democracy” is a principle of the Basic Law, but its tools are contested.
4 · Arguments: Courts must be protected from those who reject the constitution.
5 · Counterarguments: Constitutional and political-misuse concerns (bar associations, AfD).
6 · Current status: Proposed / cabinet

11Public institutions

1 · Issue: Transparency of government and treatment of judicial candidates.
2 · Policy approach: DocumentedWould examine proposed Freedom of Information restrictions so citizens and journalists can still obtain information (July 2026); called for care and objectivity after the 2025 constitutional-court election dispute.
3 · Context: AnalysisCoalition partners differ on transparency law.
4 · Arguments: Transparency sustains trust.
5 · Counterarguments: The coalition agreed in July 2026 to limit requests to natural persons with a legitimate interest.
6 · Current status: Open

Sources

Sources for each documented position are listed on the linked policy pages: Rule of Law, Justice Reform, Consumer Protection, Digital Justice, Criminal Law, Violence Protection, Family & Social Law, Civil Law, European Justice, Constitutional Rights and Criticism & Controversies.