Criticism of Katherina Reiche’s leadership of the federal Ministry of Economic Affairs is growing both inside the ministry and in the wider political arena. The German weekly “Der Spiegel” has received a memorandum that details how speeches for Minister Reiche (CDU) should be prepared. The instructions cover the framing of the talk (“What do the listeners expect?”) and even minute technical aspects, such as greeting the audience “without bullet points, left‑aligned” and writing the main text in “detailed punctuation”. The memo says brackets should only appear if they are “indispensable” and it requires all documents to be in A4 portrait, Arial 16pt, 1.5 line spacing.
The memo was sent to the LB4 section, which is responsible for speeches and strategic communication. However, insiders confirm that there are currently no speech writers in that unit. The former section head, appointed by the ministry’s predecessor Robert Habeck (Greens), left immediately after the change of government, and the two speech writers who served under her also departed. The ministry declined to disclose whether or when these positions will be refilled.
Many in the ministry see the formatting rules as a symbol of Reiche’s penchant for micromanagement, a style that the “Spiegel” also points out in other areas. In early January, the head of industrial policy allegedly briefed her staff on how to properly assemble the files for the minister and how Reiche should prepare for topics. Similar training sessions are said to have taken place or be planned in other departments.
For the proposed amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), Reiche reportedly consulted the heads of major energy companies, while her specialist team was simultaneously communicating with those same enterprises at a parallel level. The industry association for energy and water management reported that the CDU politician could only ask pre‑submitted questions during the board and presidium meeting in October. The ministry refused to comment on these developments.
Several key legislative initiatives under the ministry’s leadership are behind schedule, including the industrial electricity tariff and the revision of the Building Energy Act. Negotiations for a power plant strategy for the sector have also taken longer than expected.
In the business world, impatience is mounting. “The sense of a breakthrough has become increasingly faint” noted Johannes Gernandt, chief economist for the German Engineering Association (VDMA), to the “Spiegel”. “Real reforms and uncomfortable choices – now” are required. Tobias Goldschmidt, the Minister of Energy and Environment for Schleswig‑Holstein (Greens), warned about the consequences of delay: “No company has offered land for new offshore wind farms lately because the uncertainties are too great”. He said it is unclear what financing terms firms can expect or how land allocation will look in the future. Given the importance of offshore energy, Goldschmidt argues that Reiche should convene a crisis summit “as soon as possible” to secure further development. “Nothing is happening instead”.