Relatives and friends – this is how the green Graichen network worked

State Secretary for Economic Affairs Patrick Graichen, who has come under massive criticism, will probably leave his post. Graichen is leaving the job, the “Spiegel” reported on Wednesday, citing government circles. There was initially no comment from the Federal Ministry of Economics. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) announced a statement at short notice.

According to “Spiegel”, the reason for the personnel decision should be newly emerged inconsistencies in connection with the tendering of expert opinions. Graichen has been criticized for giving a top position at the federal German Energy Agency (Dena) to a close friend. The position was initially awarded to the former Berlin Greens politician Michael Schäfer. Graichen, who was on the selection committee, did not make it clear that Schäfer was his best man.

Criticism of the personal connections of important employees and consultants around the Ministry of Economic Affairs has recently been massive. The state secretaries, for example, are related by marriage and their family members provide the economics minister with expert opinions. Habeck is therefore accused from various quarters of running his ministry like a clan. More and more connections became known.

Patrick Graichen: Spider in the web

The focus is on him: Habeck’s former State Secretary Patrick Graichen. As an energy and climate expert, Graichen was Habeck’s most important support. The State Secretary for Economic Affairs pulled all the strings together, especially when it came to converting the energy supply.

The 51-year-old has been at home in federal politics, so to speak, since childhood. His mother worked in the Ministry of Development, his father part-time in the Ministry of Transport. His decision to study economics and political science is therefore hardly surprising. Graichen joined the Greens in 1996. After studying at the Universities of Cambridge and Heidelberg, he worked at the Institute for Environmental Economics in Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate in 2002. While he was still doing his doctorate, the then Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin (Greens) brought him into the ministry as a consultant for international climate protection.

Accusation: climate policy with the crowbar

There he quickly rose to become the personal advisor to the Green State Secretary Rainer Baake. After Trittin switched to Sigmar Gabriel (SPD), Graichen remained in the ministry until 2012 – most recently as head of the department for fundamental issues, the environment, energy and climate protection. However, when Baake founded the organization “Agora Energiewende” in the same year, Graichen left the ministry and became deputy managing director of the organization.

After Baake returned to politics in 2014, his former secretary Graichen became Agora’s head. He later followed in Baake’s footsteps as State Secretary.

Habeck on Graichen: “There was a mistake”

Actually, Graichen, as State Secretary, is supposed to enforce the climate goals of the new government. But then he had to take care of the country’s energy supply. When it comes to energy transition and climate protection, he is considered a pioneer. However, the building energy law, for which Graichen apparently plays a key role, caused severe criticism. Tenor: This is climate policy with a crowbar. But in the end it wasn’t the substantive criticism that caused Graichen’s end: Even if Habeck and Graichen had made mistakes, the state secretary now fell over the occupation of the top Dena post, which should go to his best man.

Michael Kellner is married to Graichen’s sister

Not the only connection. In connection with Graichen there are some family connections in the Federal Ministry of Economics. Because Michael Kellner, also State Secretary at Habeck, is married to Graichen’s sister Verena Graichen. At the same time, Kellner is the Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and the Federal Government’s official contact for the cultural and creative industries. Previously, he was the federal executive director of the Greens for nine years.

And also Kellner’s wife and Patrick Graichen’s sister is not a blank slate: Verena Graichen is a scientist at the Öko-Institut, which emerged from the anti-nuclear movement. Verena Graichen was appointed by the federal government to the National Hydrogen Council, which in turn reports to a committee of state secretaries.

Verena Graichen studied administrative sciences at the University of Potsdam and worked during her studies for the Society for Technical Cooperation in Ecuador in the Decentralization, Modernization and Urban Development program.

A third Graichen in the Habeck Ministry

And Verena and Patrick Graichen’s brother, who is also Kellner’s brother-in-law, also works at the Öko-Institut. Jakob Graichen is co-author of the study “Energy and climate protection projections 2035/2050”, which the Öko-Institut prepared for Habeck’s ministry. The environmental research institute is repeatedly used to justify decisions.

And the list of family ties is even longer: Felix Matthes is research coordinator at the Öko-Institut and at the same time a member of Robert Habeck’s “Gas and Heat” commission.

He is married to the former Green Senator for the Environment Regine Günther, who runs the “Climate Neutrality Foundation” together with Patrick Graichen’s ex-boss Rainer Baake. The foundation was set up to develop cross-sector strategies for a climate-friendly Germany.

Baake, in turn, was appointed “Special Representative for German-Namibian climate and energy cooperation” by Habeck.

Compliance procedures for Patrick Graichen

Particularly explosive: The Öko-Institut regularly receives orders from the federal government and also from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. So got loud Bild-Zeitung awarded five funding projects with a volume of 3.5 million euros to the Öko-Institut in 2022. No wonder the influence of the Graichen clan is increasingly being questioned.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Economy told the daily mirror recently, however, that because of Patrick Graichen there is a special compliance procedure when the ministries award external contracts: “State Secretary Dr. Graichen is not involved in award procedures for which BUND eV or Öko-Institut eV or Agora Energiewende apply.” The same applies to specific individual steps such as the selection of the type of procedure, the award criteria or the preparation of the tender documents for the preparation and initiation of tender procedures.

Nevertheless, the staffing among the opposition causes resentment. CSU General Secretary Martin Huber calls for “complete clarification” on Twitter. He also writes “The green clique clan has to get out of the Ministry of Economics”.

A start has now been made. It remains to be seen what further consequences the Graichen case will have