Agency Report –
Germany’s outgoing Economy Minister Robert Habeck is set to switch his focus to foreign policy in opposition, his Green Party said on Friday.
Habeck is due to step down from his role in May when the new coalition between Friedrich Merz’s centre-right bloc – made up of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union – and the Social Democratic Party is set to take power.
The coalition agreement must still be approved by SPD members in an online ballot and by the CDU in a small party conference.
Habeck, who has also served as deputy to outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is now expected to join the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
“We are currently constituting the parliamentary group, and Robert Habeck, in consultation with us, is going to take the lead on the relationship between Germany and the United States,” said Green parliamentary group leader Britta Hasselmann.
“The importance of this relationship is obvious,” she added.
The statement contradicts recent media reports that Habeck intended to step down from the Bundestag in the summer.
“No, we cannot confirm that,” said Hasselmann. “We have always told Robert Habeck that we would be delighted if he remains part of our parliamentary group.”
