Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has been criticized for his family ties to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Federal Ministry for the Environment. As emerged from a written request from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the Greens politician arbitrarily filled nine department heads, although these had to be advertised.
Particularly explosive: Among the chosen ones there is a complicated family network – similar to clans. But Habeck seems to get away with the clique in his ministry.
The family ties in the Habeck Ministry
The selected employees also include Habeck’s close confidante Michael Kellner and Patrick Graichen. The two are not only state secretaries to the minister, but also related. Waiter, former federal manager of the Greens, is married to Graichen’s sister Verena.
And Verena Graichen is not a blank slate either: The scientist works at the Öko-Institut, a green organization that emerged from the anti-nuclear movement. She was appointed by the federal government to the National Hydrogen Council, which in turn reports to a committee of state secretaries. Graichen could not only advise her husband Kellner and her brother on energy issues privately, but also during working hours.
Entangled relationships at the Öko-Institut
And the list of family members goes on: Jakob Graichen also works in the Habeck Ministry. He is co-author of the study “Energy and climate protection projections 2035/2050”, which the Öko-Institut prepared for Habeck’s ministry. Among other things, the environmental research institute advises the BMWK with expert reports and is repeatedly used to justify decisions. At the same time, Jakob Graichen is the brother of Patrick and Verena Graichen and therefore also a brother-in-law of Kellner.
Another member of the family is Felix Matthes, research coordinator at the Öko-Institut and also a member of Robert Habeck’s “Gas and Heat” commission. Matthes is married to former Green Environment Senator Regine Günther, who runs the “Climate Neutrality Foundation” together with Patrick Graichen’s former boss Rainer Baake. Baake, in turn, was appointed “Special Representative for German-Namibian climate and energy cooperation” by Habeck.
Germany and its family ties
Germany is known for its family clans, which not only play an important role in politics but also in other areas. The Bundesliga was dominated by the Hoeneß family for a long time, while Volkswagen would be unthinkable without the Porsche and Piëch wars.
But there are also prominent families in the area of trade and business who provide us with essential goods and services. The Aldi brothers, for example, are known for their cheap meat products, while the Neukölln clans stir up Berlin’s nightlife.
Habeck gets away with nepotism
When it comes to nepotism in politics, however, practices like those of the Federal Minister of Economics are often criticized as a particularly shameless case of crookedness. In the case of Robert Habeck and his ministry clan, however, the issue of nepotism seems to meet with little resistance. Despite the fact that Habeck has filled nine department head positions at his own discretion since taking office, often taking close confidants and family members into account, there have been no consequences for the ministry so far.
When media such as the “taz” first reported critically about the family ties a good year ago, the ministry assured: “The positions are public and of course care is taken to ensure that no conflicts of interest arise when the studies and contracts are awarded.”
Though the ties between Habeck and his closest associates appear close and tangled, the Greens don’t seem to have a problem with it so far. It remains to be seen whether these practices will continue to be tolerated in the future. Finally, there could well be conflicts of interest when awarding studies or commissions. And whether other people always decide as soon as the Graichens are involved remains questionable.
