German Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck and State Secretary Patrick Greichen recently attended a meeting of the Economic Commission to discuss the current report on personnel policy and staffing. However, on May 17th, Reuters reported that Mr. Habeck had confirmed his post following a nepotism scandal.
The scandal began when former deputy energy minister, Patrick Gleichen, was accused of helping a friend of his with a job application and not disclosing their relationship. Mr. Habeck supported Mr. Gleichen at first, but the ministry has since launched an internal investigation into the matter. At a news conference on May 17th, Mr. Habeck admitted that there had also been violations of internal compliance rules regarding government funding of a national climate protection project in which Mr. Greichen’s sister participated.
Despite Mr. Habeck’s support for his colleagues, he acknowledged that they had made too many mistakes. He stated that ideally, a replacement would be found for Mr. Gleichen before then. It is worth noting that Mr. Greichen’s brother and sister both work at the institute, and his sister is married to the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.
The scandal has come at a difficult time for the Green Party, which has suffered a slump in polls due to concerns over the cost of their climate policy. The party’s support in the canton of Bremen fell by a third in the recent election. The drop reflects a decline in approval ratings at the federal level as well.
In summary, the scandal involving Mr. Gleichen and Mr. Greichen has raised questions about compliance and personnel policy within the ministry. While Mr. Habeck has voiced his support for his colleagues, he has acknowledged the need for a replacement and for better compliance in the future.