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A weekly newsletter on German politics, with news and analysis on the new government.
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By HANS VON DER BURCHARD
with GABRIEL RINALDI
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GUTEN NACHMITTAG and welcome to your weekly Berlin Bulletin, coming to you this week from Hans von der Burchard. After your regular host Florian Eder said Auf Wiedersehen last week and is now heading for new adventures, I and my colleague Matthew Karnitschnig will now anchor this newsletter on a rotating basis. Get in touch with me here or on Twitter.
CRONYISM ALLEGATIONS
THE SCANDAL ROCKING THE GREENS: Less than a year ago, Economy Minister Robert Habeck was Germany’s most popular politician and on a straight course to challenge Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the 2025 elections. Since then, not only his Green party, but also Habeck’s personal popularity, has fallen significantly in the polls. First, that was due to unpopular energy price measures, but now that downward trajectory risks being accelerated by a troubling nepotism affair in Habeck’s ministry.
Patrick Graichen: Unless you’ve lived under a rock this past week, you will have heard the name of this top state secretary in Habeck’s ministry who’s also the mastermind behind Germany’s green energy transition. Graichen’s family connections within the ministry were first reported in late 2021, and at the time the ministry insisted safeguards would be put in place to avoid conflicts of interest.
Yet amid a growing scrutiny over these family ties, the ministry released a statement admitting that Graichen had played a crucial role in selecting the new head of Germany’s energy agency Dena — without declaring a striking conflict of interest of interest: The chosen candidate was the best man at Graichen’s wedding. Since then, further problematic connections have been revealed, such as that Graichen’s sister Verena sits on a council that advises the government on hydrogen as a new source of energy, while Graichen is responsible for reviewing and potentially implementing the council’s proposals.
The clock is ticking: So far, Habeck has backed his state secretary against mounting calls for his resignation, stressing the key role Graichen played in swiftly weaning Germany off its fatal dependency on Russian energy imports and in the green energy transition. But the sheer magnitude of Graichen’s misconduct — which is particularly embarrassing for the Greens as they’ve insisted that they prize transparency and have frequently scolded other parties over the management of conflicts of interest — makes it increasingly unlikely that Graichen can stay in his position.
The longer this affair and the negative headlines drag on, the more dangerous it also becomes for Habeck personally and the Greens. That is particularly problematic as state elections in Bremen are coming up next Sunday, which might force Habeck to dismiss his top ally within the coming days. More here.
NO LONGER THE MEDIA’S DARLING: The whole cronyism saga at the economy ministry also says a lot about Germany’s media landscape, which for a long time granted a favorable treatment to the Greens. This explains why many of the questionable connections at the top of the ministry were known since late 2021 but hardly seemed to bother anyone until recently. Imagine if the same thing had happened at a ministry run by the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is used to much tougher scrutiny by German media …
But that’s over now: Left-leaning media like Spiegel have joined the chorus of more right-leaning outlets calling for a swift dismissal of Graichen (see more below in our commentary box).
MEANWHILE, HABECK MAKES NEW PROPOSAL: The economy minister proposed Friday to boost the competitiveness of German industries by lowering their energy costs with billions of state aid from a controversial €200 billion energy relief fund. More by Clean Energy Wire.
STATE VISITS
MONSIEUR LE PRESIDENT IS COMING: Berlin and Paris remain at odds over various issues like finances, energy and how to position the EU vis-à-vis the U.S. and China, but that won’t stop them from celebrating their amitié franco-allemande with pompous photo ops. French President Emmanuel Macron plans to visit Germany from July 2-4, with the highlight of the visit being a state banquet in the Bellevue Palace in Berlin hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on July 3, according to three officials familiar with the preparations of the visit.
Other points on the travel agenda are still under discussion: One still unconfirmed possibility is that Macron travels to Dresden on July 4, where he could visit a planned Infineon chip plant. Another option would be for Macron to tour the western German city of Ludwigsburg on July 3 (ahead of his visit to Berlin), where the Franco-German Institute celebrates its 75th birthday that day; a ceremony for which it has invited “high-ranking guests from Germany and France.” More about the state visit here.
LEAKED TRAVEL PLANS: Meanwhile, another more immediate state visit to Berlin, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 13, is also under preparation. Yet while Berlin’s police department only had one job — to protect the Ukrainian leader — a police officer shared sensitive details of Zelenskyy’s visit with local media B.Z. That report was shortly afterwards confirmed by none other than the police’s own press office, whose spokesperson told POLITICO that Zelenskyy would come at the invitation of Chancellor Scholz.
High level of detail: Problematically, however, the original media report by B.Z. contained sensitive information apparently leaked by a police officer. Among other things, it mentioned that Zelenskyy is expected to land at the military section of the Berlin airport, check into the Ritz-Carlton hotel at central Potsdamer Platz, and meet Chancellor Scholz and President Steinmeier on May 14.
A ‘breach of secrecy’: On Thursday, the police said the published information “contain[ed] confidential details of an operation that is being planned,” adding that an inquiry into the “breach of secrecy” had been launched. “I find it unbearable that — if you believe the article in the newspaper — a single employee is damaging the reputation of the Berlin police in such a shameful way, both nationally and internationally,” Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said. More here.
Kyiv is not amused: Now, one might banter, Berlin is showing its best side once again. Kyiv, however, does not find the whole affair funny at all. German news outlet t-online cited “circles close to the [Ukrainian] government” saying that Zelenskyy was considering cancelling the trip because of the leak. According to the report, the officials were “gravely disappointed” that “apparently very sensitive security policy information” had been deliberately published from German sources. This process was “irresponsible” and could “call into question a possible visit by the Ukrainian president.” Neither the German government not the German president’s office have confirmed the visit yet. Zelenskyy is expected to also travel to Aachen to receive the Charlemagne Prize on May 14 or 15.
THE GREEN PARTY AND THE ECONOMY
IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID: Some 40 years ago the Green Party was founded out of environmental, anti-nuclear and peace movements, but now they’re increasingly warming up to the idea to also become a pro-business party (at least for businesses embracing the shift to renewable energies and more sustainable supply chains). Amid this backdrop, the Greens Economic Association was recently launched — an independent institution that is nonetheless closely linked to the party, and which other parties like the Social Democrats or Christian Democrats already have had for many years.
Political consultancy: “We want to contribute to put the economic policy of green ideas into practice,” Thomas Fischer, chairman of the board, told Berlin Bulletin. “There are many pathways to the goal of sustainability, and we need the right political guardrails, and we need more speed,“ he said, adding that “the association is strongly characterized by leaders who are all active entrepreneurs, and offer to be sparring partners for politics.”
Green Zeitenwende: For a long time, large parts of the Green Party saw business as a source of environmental problems rather than a potential partner to achieve solutions. Green politicians adamantly fought against new EU trade deals such as with the Latin American Mercosur bloc, warning that they would increase deforestation and that the shipping of goods across the Atlantic is causing too much pollution. That has changed, not only with top Green politician Robert Habeck taking over the economy ministry, but also with party officials realizing that the EU needs new markets if it wants to diversify away from China, and that EU trade deals include environmental protection clauses while China stands ready to conquer the Latin American market without caring much about the Rain Forest.
Establishing a link: “What we felt we lacked there was a point of contact” between business and the Greens, said Fischer. “So, we thought, how can we get involved without having to be politically active in a party ourselves, and then out of that came the idea of founding the association.” A total of 19 companies and 40 individual persons have already joined the association. A cautioning voice is coming from lobbying watchdog LobbyControl, which called for clear dividing lines between the association and the party and recommended political representatives not take on any functions in the association.
COMMENTARY BOX
MISCONDUCT OR CAMPAIGN? Most commentary focused on the allegations against Graichen this week. While some pundits fear an attack on Berlin’s overall climate policy, others are calling for a resignation. Let’s dive right into the comment columns.
The ‘backbone’ of German climate policy: “Graichen has provided a gateway for all those who are running up a storm against Habeck’s climate policy using more or less loud methods,” writes Sabine am Orde in taz newspaper. “Graichen … is, so to speak, the head and backbone of the climate change in Habeck’s house. Which should also explain the passion of the attacks on Graichen. These are not aimed at just any secretary of state. They are aimed at Robert Habeck and the core of green climate policy.”
No campaign at all: Igor Steinle of the Südwest Presse speaks of an “enormous loss of confidence.” There is the impression that “posts and assignments are being handed to each other while interfering with the lives and property rights of citizens.” As Steinle notes, politicians have already resigned over less. “This makes the diversionary tactics of some Greens seem all the more improper. … But to label the accusations as a ‘campaign’ is misleading. The misconduct is far too obvious for that.”
Graichen must go: The most withering commentary comes from Alexander Neubacher in Spiegel, who writes that “Habeck apparently has the residual hope that the scandal surrounding his state secretary can somehow be cleared away,” and adds: “He won’t succeed with that. Politically, Graichen is already as good as done. And Habeck is about to become a lame duck.” Neubacher argued that “every day that Habeck sticks with Graichen is a lost and dangerous day” and warned that the affair around the state secretary risks turning into Habeck’s own affair.
WEEK AHEAD
RIGHT-WING VIOLENCE: On Tuesday, the Greens in the Bundestag will deal with right-wing violence, racism and terror, following a presentation of last year’s annual statistics on such violence and politically motivated crime that same morning. The Greens will discuss potential responses to these challenges during a hybrid event at 6:30 p.m. with, among others, the president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, and journalist Ann-Katrin Müller.
FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT: At the same time on Tuesday evening, the Social Democrats will discuss Scholz’s Zeitenwende during an online event.
SUPPLY CHAIN LAWS: On Wednesday, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation will use the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, which killed over 1,100 people in 2013, to talk about corporate due diligence worldwide. Have the right international consequences been drawn by politics and business? What opportunities and what protection do existing supply chain laws offer? This will be discussed between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Berlin — digital participation is possible.
FOOD SECURITY: Minister for Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir will give a speech at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) on Friday, followed by a discussion on how to address the increasing pressure on food systems and agricultural livelihoods worldwide. The aim is to discuss what strategies are needed to achieve this in agricultural and foreign policy and how the German government can promote agro-economic resilience. The event starts at 3:30 p.m. at Rauchstraße 17/18 in Berlin-Mitte.
OVER AND OUT
SCHRÖDER LOSES COURT APPEAL: Former Chancellor and Putin friend Gerhard Schröder wanted his seven-room Bundestag office and his staff of four back, which he was stripped of last year over his refusal to cut his personal and business ties to Russia. But the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that he must continue to work without these privileges.
STAR WARS FAIL: The force was not with Marco Buschmann. To celebrate unofficial Star Wars Day, the German justice minister posted a tweet saying that he and Yoda were “taking a look at galaxies far, far away for ideas on how to make our home planet more modern, better and freer.” The problem: Buschmann’s photo did not show Yoda but Grogu — a fairly new character who first appeared in the spin-off series “The Mandalorian” in 2019. That detail earned Buschmann quite some mockery, even though his social media team argued that Grogu is colloquially known as Baby Yoda. My colleague Gabriel has more.
THANK YOU: To my editor Jones Hayden and producer.
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