Despite having been in office for almost a year, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) has met representatives from major energy corporations but has not met with any representatives from nature conservation associations or the Federal Consumer Organization. This was reported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs to the Funke Media Group’s newspapers (Monday editions).
A ministry spokesperson stated that since taking office, the Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy has held meetings with representatives from EnBW, RWE, Eon, and LEAG through bilateral talks, roundtables, company visits, and other public events. However, the ministry has not held meetings at the ministerial level with representatives from BUND, Nabu, Greenpeace, DUH, Deutscher Naturschutzring, Germanwatch, or VZBV. Nevertheless, the ministry maintains dialogue with these associations.
Representatives of environmental groups describe the relationship with the Ministry of Economic Affairs as exceptionally poor. Tobias Pforte-von Randow, the deputy political director of the Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR), told the Funke newspapers that the only contact the DNR-an umbrella organization for environmental groups-has had with the ministry’s leadership level was a group appointment with a State Secretary. “In my view, the contact with the ministry’s leadership has never been as bad as it is currently” he said.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, the Federal Managing Director of the German Efficiency House (DUH), noted that regardless of political affiliation, ministerial leadership has always engaged with environmental associations in the past. Müller-Kraenner told the Funke newspapers that there has always been a willingness to listen to arguments, but this is happening only “very limitedly” under the current leadership. He added that, for instance, the DUH was invited by the ministry to a conference in September, but they received notice months in advance that nobody from the entire bureaucracy had time to attend, describing the situation as “very disconcerting”.