One of Germany’s most senior Green Party kingmakers, regarded by many as a key architect of the country’s green transition, has been removed from office over claims that he abused his power to secure funding for members of his inner circle.
Patrick Graichen was forced from his role as state secretary for climate action after coming under the spotlight due to accusations that he had channelled state funds into organisations run by his family and recommended close associates for positions of power.
As Graichen was a key ally of Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, his resignation is seen as an unmitigated PR disaster for the German Green Party at a time when Berlin’s green policies are coming under increasing scrutiny for their economic and geopolitical impact.
Graichen was suspended after an internal audit revealed that he had directed €600,000 in state funding to a green NGO where his sister is an active board member. He was then forced to retire, which triggered an internal crisis within the ranks of the struggling German Green Party.
Graichen first attracted attention in April after claims he was attempting to promote the best man at his wedding to head the German Energy Agency. Media revelations also exposed professional links between a research institute funded by Graichen’s department and his family.
It is understood that the affair has caused a particular strain in Germany’s ruling traffic light coalition, with Habeck confirming that Graichen had made “one mistake too many” in signing off on projects linked to his family.
There are growing calls for Habeck himself to resign due to the scale of the practices involved and his proximity to his disgraced state secretary. Opposition parties have gleefully jumped on the scandal. Senior AfD official Georg Pazderski described Habeck as “up to his neck in dirt” and that his position was now untenable.
German green policymaking circles had developed a negative reputation for cliquishness, with the “Graichen clan” already notorious for monopolising positions of power.
Germany’s policy of decarbonisation has been repeatedly branded as reckless by economists and populist politicians alike. The country is facing a perfect storm of underperforming renewable energy and a schism with Russia, which threatens its energy security. While in office Graichen spearheaded the dismantling of the German nuclear power sector, while taking a hardline in the war against fossil fuels.
The German Greens are on course to suffer their worst electoral results ever, with the party increasingly seen as the whipping boys for Germany’s failing energy policy.
