The minister appreciated by entrepreneurs.
(Photo: IMAGO/Political Moments)
Not long ago it was a nightmare vision for large parts of the economy: a green politician who could take over the Federal Ministry of Economics. Entrepreneurs and managers saw the demands for nuclear phase-out and comprehensive environmental and climate protection as an attack on their profits and simply hostile to the economy.
Since December there has been a green economics minister, and characteristically, Robert Habeck has included climate protection in his title. In addition, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Green Federal Economics Minister has had to manage a crisis that is causing severe turbulence in thousands of companies. He therefore bears more responsibility than many of his predecessors.
In the German economy, however, there is surprisingly little left of the fear that was felt. On the contrary: many entrepreneurs and managers have great respect for the 52-year-old. They praise his pragmatism and recognize that the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection also takes the first part of his job description seriously.
There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, most entrepreneurs and managers have now recognized that there is no alternative to environmental and climate protection. Their business models will not be endangered by the energy transition, but the decisive question is whether they themselves are actively preparing for the threat of climate change and making their companies fit for the future. It’s no longer a question of whether the energy transition will take place, but of how – and a Green Economics Minister is currently being trusted with this implementation. In many cases, this realization took a long time and was sometimes very painful, but it dominates.
No cause for malice
On the other hand, in these difficult times, Habeck is putting pragmatism before ideology, something that a Green Economics Minister would probably not have been expected to do for a long time – and that Habeck will probably find it difficult to explain to his own voters. The steadfastness with which Habeck blocks the calls for a boycott of Russian gas supplies is registered with relief. The minister himself admits that this step is difficult to explain morally and he knows that the majority of the population is against him on this issue. But he recognizes that an abrupt stop to deliveries would have incalculable consequences for many companies, entire supply chains and millions of jobs.
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The Green Minister is actively seeking supplies of a fossil fuel in Qatar: liquefied natural gas (LNG). The scene when Habeck bowed to the Emir was treated with much malice. Ultimately, however, it only demonstrated how the minister places responsibility for the economy above his own convictions. The green minister is willing to let coal-fired power plants run longer and has even explored the option of keeping nuclear power plants online longer.
The learning curve for Habeck couldn’t be steeper. When he took office in early December, the conditions for a green economy minister could not have been better. The battles over the energy transition and the phase-out of nuclear and coal had long since been decided. Business was only expecting clear announcements on how the energy transition could be accelerated and made a success. It was about new solar and wind parks, approval procedures for power grids and the question of how many gas-fired power plants have to be built to compensate for the coal phase-out.
Now Habeck has to cushion the consequences of the war in Ukraine for the economy – and so far he’s been doing it remarkably well.
More: Bosch boss warns against phasing out Russian gas supplies.