“Habeck and Lindner are a duo with potential for tension,” said Moritz Kraemer, chief economist at bank LBBW, in comments to FAZ. One of the reasons why German business chiefs are not yet in full-blown panic mode is the fact that Christian Lindner, the leader of the business-friendly liberal FDP, will become finance minister and offer a counterbalance to Habeck. Habeck assuming the economy ministry, while his party colleague Steffi Lemke is slated to become minister of the environment, could represent a paradigm shift for German industry. Robert Habeck at an event on 26 February 2020. “He’s more of a generalist than a specialist, and he has a way of simplifying complex issues,” Uwe Jun, a political scientist at the University of Trier, told AFP. Habeck is known for convincing fishermen and conservationists about the importance of building offshore wind farms. The greatest strength of the 52 year-old philosopher may be his communication skills. This appointment should be the end of it,” said Marco Beicht, founder of software firm Powercloud, in an interview with FAZ. “Until now, the Ministry of Economics has acted as an advocate for energy-intensive industries vis-à-vis the Ministry of the Environment. “Radical challenges need radical solutions,” Habeck said in a 2018 interview with ZDF heute show, calling for the Greens to stick to their values rather than compromise their values in order to appeal to the center.ĭoing this in the position of a ministry that has traditionally championed the interests of industry won’t be easy. But as he takes over the reins, he seems determined to seize the opportunity and make a difference. Germany’s new super-minister has until now been an anomaly in politics – his easy-going nature once earned him the nickname of “panda of German politics”. Taking over a ministry previously held by the conservative Peter Altmaier, Habeck will add the climate portfolio to his mandate and create a veritable super-ministry of almost 2,000 staffers, larger than the European Commission’s DG ENER, DG ENV and DG CLIMA combined, with a budget upwards of €10 billion. Robert Habeck, the first-ever Green minister of the economy, energy and now also climate protection, is at the helm of a super ministry that will span general economic policy, as well as SMEs, renewable energy, and the much-needed expansion of the country’s electricity grid. Berlin has a new strongman: the Greens’ co-chief and future vice chancellor Robert Habeck, whose pragmatism and track record in Schleswig-Holstein looks tailor-made to drive Germany’s renewable energy expansion.Īs Brussels braces for tough negotiations over the EU’s proposed 2030 climate plan, the so-called ‘Fit for 55’ package, Berlin has just designated a new vice-chancellor who will be a key player in the upcoming talks.
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