Robert Habeck on the Graichen affair: “Insults, some lies”

In the affair surrounding his State Secretary Patrick Graichen, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck once again accused the opposition in the Bundestag of using the case to stop the traffic light government’s climate protection plans. “Insinuations, insults, sometimes lies” were spread “with a harshness and almost maliciousness” in order to prevent the decarbonization of climate protection in the heat sector, said the Green politician on Wednesday evening in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. “And I’m not willing to sacrifice people to give in to this campaign.”

Habeck accuses his political opponents of linking the personnel with the criticism of the planned new building energy law. In essence, the law stipulates that from 2024 every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energy. The most important technology for this is the heat pump. “The opposition has decided to fight for oil and gas heating and is also using this personality to wage this fight,” Habeck said on the show. “I’d like to separate things – we’ll see if I can get away with it, if that will be successful.”

Ingo Zamperoni grills Robert Habeck in the “Daily Topics”

Graichen is criticized because he was involved in the original appointment of one of the two chief posts of the federal German Energy Agency (Dena). The post was initially awarded to the former Berlin Greens politician Michael Schäfer. Graichen is said not to have made it clear that Schäfer was his best man. After Schäfer’s private connections to the Federal Ministry of Economics became known, the Dena supervisory board decided last week to re-advertise the post.

“We deal openly with the problem,” said Habeck. The affair surrounding the Secretary of State was nevertheless “difficult and challenging”. Graichen and he had admitted mistakes. The procedure for personnel selection is now to be rolled out again. But Habeck “offers a target because we change things”.

“Tagesthemen” moderator Ingo Zamperoni hacks, but continues to grill the Minister of Economic Affairs in the interview. Is he endangering the energy transition by insisting on Graichen? A dismissal of Graichen does not give the matter, he replies visibly annoyed. “The strategic argument, ‘Make yourself comfortable and become more popular again and therefore fire people’ is a type that I really don’t want to cultivate,” says Habeck. He wants to separate things.

Opposition calls for Patrick Graichen to be dismissed

Zamperoni intervenes: “You separate it, Herr Habeck, but the opposition will not separate it!”

Habeck reacts irritably: “And what’s the question behind it? I think I answered it.”

“Mr. Habeck, we’ve had that before,” the moderator replies with a smile. Wouldn’t he accuse the opposition of doing the same thing the other way round? That is a hypothetical question, the minister dismisses the question.

After a hearing at a joint session of the Bundestag committees on economics and energy, Habeck said on Wednesday he had decided Graichen didn’t have to go. Graichen asserted that he had neither given Schäfer nor other candidates any information or provided any advantages. But it was a mistake that he did not withdraw from the process because of Schäfer’s candidacy.

After the meeting, opposition representatives appeared unimpressed and demanded further clarification or Graichen’s dismissal. There was also criticism, for example, of personal ties in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Graichen’s sister, married to his colleague Michael Kellner, works like her brother at the Öko-Institut – a research institute that receives orders from the federal government. The ministry emphasizes that Kellner and Graichen were not involved in tenders for which the Öko-Institut could have applied.