Tensions are mounting inside the Federal Ministry of Economy, headed by Katherina Reiche (CDU). Sources say that several employees were asked by the ministry’s leadership to sign a formal statement, and that their emails were partially searched. The trigger was the leakage of a delegation roster for a trip to Saudi Arabia at the end of January.
A news portal had listed company representatives who were supposed to accompany Reiche on the Saudi delegation. The names came from an internal ministry list that was annotated with confidential remarks. According to insiders, the leak caused great anger among the leadership.
With Reiche’s support, the ministry ordered all involved staff to sign a sworn declaration affirming that they had not supplied information to unauthorized third parties. In addition, the leadership reportedly carried out a limited search of the employees’ emails, though it is unclear whether anything was uncovered.
The measures have reportedly caused significant resentment among the workforce. The ministry is said to be dealing with the incident in what insiders describe as an “alarming distrust” and a “general suspicion”. A ministry spokesperson replied to a press request that the ministry would not comment on internal IT and security measures. He did, however, state that the release of confidential information is not only strictly prohibited but also jeopardizes decision‑making processes, erodes trust within the government, and undermines the credibility of ministries. Preventing such leaks, he said, is in the interest of all employees.