After the citizens’ vote in the Altötting district against a large wind farm, Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (FW) now wants to get more involved in the matter. The concerns must be taken seriously, but on the other hand there are “gigantic energy needs” in the chemical triangle region, he said on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting. He wanted to speak to the district administrator and mayor that same day and said he wanted to “save as many of these 40 wind turbines as possible.” It’s about finding a “compromise line”; there are opportunities to “tweak the adjustment screws” in terms of citizen participation and municipal influence in the large-scale project – perhaps even other municipalities that have not yet been involved could do so “under new conditions.” get in.
The municipality of Mehring recently rejected wind turbines in its area in a referendum. According to current plans, around ten out of 40 wind turbines should be built there. Bavaria’s largest wind farm is to be built in the Altöttinger and Burghauser Forests. The citizens’ vote had led to upheavals within the state government. The Minister of Economic Affairs was accused – also by the CSU – of not having paid enough attention to the major project. The criticism is primarily aimed at the fact that Aiwanger did not attend a visit to Mehring that was planned in January and instead attended several farmers’ demonstrations. Altöttinger state parliament member and CSU general secretary Martin Huber openly warned the minister that energy policy is economic policy.
At the “Sunday regulars’ table” on Bavarian television, Aiwanger harshly blamed Markus Söder. “The Prime Minister” was responsible for planning the park. And people are “not convinced by this plan.” Shouldn’t he have promoted the project more? “I just don’t let myself be sent anywhere people would like me to go.” On Monday, in response to a BR24 request, the State Chancellery reminded Aiwanger of his technical responsibility for renewable energies – by the way, these are “Hubert Aiwanger’s responsibility for the sixth year”. Already in January there had been criticism from the CSU for Aiwanger’s excessive participation in demonstrations by farmers and middle classes, thus to the detriment of his actual job and his presence in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. “Demo hopping” was mentioned several times in a derogatory manner.
Now on Tuesday, Aiwanger rejected “the arguments of the last few days” that his commitment to the farmers’ protests had damaged the wind power project. He feels “flattered” to be credited with having an influence here that he doesn’t have. In return, it is “time well invested in our country’s democracy” to be seen by farmers and middle classes. On the way to the demos and home, “other topics could be addressed” and office work these days takes place in the back seat of the car. The appointment in the Altötting district on Tuesday was due to his initiative, said Aiwanger. As an independent party, the Free Voters did not allow the CSU General Secretary to “dictate” the job description.
None of this seemed like the differences had subsided, on the contrary. And there is also trouble between the government partners when it comes to the focus of the cabinet meeting. The Council of Ministers set the first course for implementing Söder’s announcements in the government declaration in December on high-tech and artificial intelligence. The TU Nuremberg, which is currently being set up, is to become the first university specializing in AI, as Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU) explained. Bavaria is also creating 100 additional positions for AI research at other locations in a competitive process. Numerous other measures in this area are being addressed; Blume made his own small government statement in his statement. One should “never stand still” in a world in which there are big races about the issues of the future. The Nobel Prize winner in physics Ferenc Krausz, who researches in Munich, took part in the meeting. According to Blume, he praised Bavaria as a research location, for example the interaction between university and non-university institutions.
The Conference of Ministers of Education refuses to appoint Aiwanger to the Senate of the Max Planck Society
The non-university players, including the Max Planck Society (MPG), are the responsibility of the Ministry of Economics, not the Ministry of Science. According to a report by the Munich Mercury (Tuesday edition) Aiwanger is threatened with expulsion from the MPG Senate. The reason for this is that he is said to have not attended a single meeting of the important committee in the past five years. The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) has therefore refused to reappoint Aiwanger to the Senate since summer 2023. This means that the position of state representative and, of all things, the MPG’s headquarters country is vacant. According to the report, it is now expected that Science Minister Blume will move into the Senate.
When asked, Aiwanger actually confirmed that he had never met once at the MPG in the Senate, due to “termination conflicts”. Even if it makes sense to participate as often as possible, he can still complete “five to seven other appointments at home” in that time. He will talk to “these people” again, but suspects that it can all be traced back to “red and green ministers” in the KMK. When asked, Blume emphasized that the MPG was “extremely important for us as a Free State”. Also in the upcoming excellence competition, in which Bavaria wants to get a third elite university. When asked whether he would take over Aiwanger’s seat in the Senate, Blume said: He is not an expert, but rather, “if the circumstances require it,” always “pragmatic.”