MPs allowed iPads in Bundestag
Laptops are not allowed in German parliamentary debates because they create a visual obstruction, but now lawmakers have been granted permission to use Apple iPads and other tablet PCs on the floor of the Bundestag, a media report said Friday.
The parliamentary procedural committee unanimously agreed that the tablet computers are acceptable, daily Bild reported.
“This is an absolutely modern decision,” Free Democratic parliamentarian Manuel Höferlin told paper. “It shows that the Bundestag is keeping up with technical developments.”
Effective immediately, Berlin politicians can use iPads instead of paper for reading their speeches.
The main factor behind the decision was the flat form of the computers, which does not block vision like laptops. The tablets can also operate silently, preserving the dignity of the chamber, the paper said.
The decision was prompted by a June 10 speech read from an iPad by Free Democrat Jimmy Schulz, after which parliamentary leadership demanded clarification on whether this fit chamber rules.
The Local/ka
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The parliamentary procedural committee unanimously agreed that the tablet computers are acceptable, daily Bild reported.
“This is an absolutely modern decision,” Free Democratic parliamentarian Manuel Höferlin told paper. “It shows that the Bundestag is keeping up with technical developments.”
Effective immediately, Berlin politicians can use iPads instead of paper for reading their speeches.
The main factor behind the decision was the flat form of the computers, which does not block vision like laptops. The tablets can also operate silently, preserving the dignity of the chamber, the paper said.
The decision was prompted by a June 10 speech read from an iPad by Free Democrat Jimmy Schulz, after which parliamentary leadership demanded clarification on whether this fit chamber rules.
The Local/ka
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