German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a thorough discussion of plans for a mandatory coronavirus vaccination, saying such a drastic measure must be fully justified, the AP reported.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has supported calls for a compulsory vaccination mandate, and lawmakers are expected to begin debating the bill later this month. Polls show that a majority of German residents support mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, but a minority opposes the idea.

“The exceptional situation of a pandemic increases the pressure for the state to act, but it doesn't replace the requirement to weigh up arguments and balance interests,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at the beginning of a roundtable debate.

Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, said he would not take sides in the debate, but urged participants to respect other positions and to respect facts and reasons.

He named “complete nonsense claims that the coronavirus pandemic has turned Germany into a dictatorship,”  saying that such claims betray a lack of respect for democratic institutions and the rule of law.