A New Direction for Climate Policies Under Merz's Leadership
Revised Cabinet Dismisses Multiple Government Officers from Their Positions
The fresh cabinet under Chancellor Friedrich Merz is shaking things up, causing quite a stir within the climate advocacy community. They've decided to streamline their distribution of tasks among the ministries, scraping several key positions, including those focused on migration, climate, and marine protection. These moves have environmental groups sounding the alarm.
In their initial meeting, the new federal cabinet made some bold decisions. Among them, reducing the number of commissioners, representatives, and coordinators by a substantial 25. This reduction was made within the Chancellery, as reported by government circles. The meeting was approximately 45 minutes long, and during this time, the government adopted an organizational decree outlining the ministry-to-ministry task assignments.
Key changes include international climate policy being moved from the Foreign Office to the Environmental Ministry and the new Digital Ministry assuming responsibilities from the Chancellery and five other ministries, mainly from the Interior Ministry. The coalition agreement between Union and SPD already provided for the elimination of many of these commissioner positions, aiming to cut back on bureaucracy.
However, it's essential to note that some of the positions being discarded were created by previous governments, while others were performed by officials already working within the respective ministry, so cost savings may not be the primary goal.
Offices on the Chopping Block
The federal government's special representative for migration agreements and the marine commissioner are among the positions slated to disappear in the future. The representative for migration agreements, assigned to the Interior Ministry, was established in early 2023, with FDP politician Joachim Stamp filling the role. His main responsibilities were negotiating with state officials to encourage efforts in repatriating deportable citizens. Some Union members had already questioned the need for this role, stating that it could be handled internally by the ministry without the need for such a representative.
The marine commissioner position, which resides within the Environmental Ministry, has only been around since September 2022. This role was primarily responsible for overseeing a new department for marine protection. As well as the marine commissioner, positions such as the coordinator for freight traffic and logistics, the commissioner for rail traffic, and the commissioner for cycling within the Federal Ministry of Transport are to be eliminated. Additionally, the position of the ambassador for feminist foreign policy, created by the previous traffic light government, will cease to exist.
The special representative for international climate policy, established in the Foreign Office after the inauguration of former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, will also be coming to an end. This role was held by Jennifer Morgan, former executive director of Greenpeace International.
Environmental Concerns
Environmental groups are viewing this move as a bleak signal and are cautioning against potential setbacks in the fight against climate change. According to Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch, the elimination of these positions leaves a "large vacuum." Bals expressed concern that the new government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has chosen to scale back international climate protection rather than drive it forward with diplomatic momentum.
Jan Kowalzig, a climate expert from Oxfam, shared similar sentiments, stating that abolishing this role represents a shift in gear in international climate policy – exactly the wrong direction. Kowalzig feels that Jennifer Morgan's work has been significant, making Germany a more reliable partner in the fight against the climate crisis.
Viviane Raddatz of WWF believes that the special envoy position was crucial, both nationally and internationally. Given that international climate policy is a cross-cutting issue requiring coordinated cooperation between various ministries, Raddatz worries that the elimination of this position puts the necessary coordination at risk.
Despite these concerns, there are commissioners who will remain in the cabinet, including the commissioner for Jewish life in Germany and the fight against anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, currently based in the Foreign Office, and the commissioner for victims, who serves as the central contact for concerns voiced by victims and relatives of terrorist crimes.
With the development of this new, condensed government, the coming months will prove crucial in discerning the actual effects on climate policy and environmental protection.
[1] [Germanwatch] (https://www.germanwatch.org)[2] [Oxfam Germany] (https://www.oxfam.de)[3] [WWF Germany] (https://www.wwf.de)
- The fresh cabinet led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in their initiatives, have moved the international climate policy from the Foreign Office to the Environmental Ministry, causing concern among environmental groups.
- The new Digital Ministry is assuming responsibilities from the Chancellery and five other ministries, primarily from the Interior Ministry, as part of the cabinet's plans to minimize bureaucracy.
- Union members had previously questioned the need for the federal government's special representative for migration agreements, a role initially established in early 2023 and assigned to the Interior Ministry.4.According to Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch, the elimination of positions focused on international climate protection could result in a "large vacuum," and potentially setbacks in the fight against climate change.
