After the Graichen case, the traffic light coalition is threatened with the next dispute over a personal issue: Federal Minister Heil’s best man also has a post in his Ministry of Labor. The Union demands clarification.
The debate about the so-called best man affair with Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and his now former State Secretary Patrick Graichen has just calmed down in focus. But new allegations are already being raised against another member of the federal government – this time against Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil.
The “affair” keeps its name, because here too the question revolves around: Was it legitimate for Heil to appoint his best man Carsten Stender to head of department for European and international employment and social policy in 2018? First, the “Spiegel” reported on the personnel. The Federal Ministry of Labor has confirmed the post allocation.
The “Spiegel” report has now revealed that in 2005 Stender had been the best man of today’s federal labor minister.
Ministry points possible conflict of interest return
However, a statement from Heil’s ministry specifically emphasized that there was “in no way” a conflict of interest in Stender’s appointment as head of department. The only decisive factor in filling the position was “technical expertise”. Stender fully met the requirements for the position, in particular due to his “excellent professional qualifications” and his “political relationship of trust with the minister”. The fact that he was Heil’s best man around 20 years ago is an “expression of private friendship”.
According to “Spiegel”, the position was then awarded without prior advertising, which is also not necessary when posting positions as department heads.
Union politician demand clarification
The Union reacted with clear criticism of the post allocation to Stender. “Hubertus Heil urgently needs to provide clarification,” demanded CSU General Secretary Martin Huber in the “Bild”. As a result of the “best man affair”, the federal government is “slowly coming under general suspicion”.
And the CSU politician Florian Hahn also emphasized: “The motto ‘Family and Friends’ obviously applies to the traffic lights.” It is “breathtaking how quickly the federal government gambles away any reputation, not only because of its bad policies, but also because of its felt.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International has few concerns about the job allocation. The election of “confidants of the minister” for such a post is not a violation. Likewise, the organization could not identify any “obvious” violations of the rules, “provided that Mr. Stender also meets the professional and career requirements”.
Before moving to the Federal Ministry of Labor, Stender worked, among other things, as head of department at the Federal Foreign Office and held various positions on the SPD party executive.
Long dispute over former State Secretary Graichen
Only a week and a half ago Patrick Graichen, until then State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics under Habeck, had to vacate his post. He was heavily criticized because his former best man, Michael Schäfer, was to become CEO of the German Energy Agency. Graichen himself had been involved in choosing Schäfer.
In the end, Schäfer gave up his position as chief, while Minister of the Greens Habeck continued to cling to his state secretary. After all, Graichen is considered the architect of the building energy law that is so controversial at the moment. But then new inconsistencies emerged and specifically a violation of internal compliance rules, so that Graichen was put on temporary retirement. His successor, Philipp Nimmermann, is scheduled to take up his post as State Secretary next week.