Robert Habeck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Habeck in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice Chancellor of Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Olaf Scholz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lars Klingbeil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Peter Altmaier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Katherina Reiche | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader ofAlliance 90/The Greens | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 January 2018 – 29 January 2022 Serving with Annalena Baerbock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Cem Özdemir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Omid Nouripour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 12 June 2012 – 6 February 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister-President | Torsten Albig Daniel Günther | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Heiner Garg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Monika Heinold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Energy Transition, Agriculture, the Environment, Nature and Digitization of Schleswig-Holstein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 12 June 2012 – 31 August 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister-President | Torsten Albig Daniel Günther | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Juliane Rumpf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jan Philipp Albrecht | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader ofAlliance 90/The Greens in theLandtag of Schleswig-Holstein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 October 2009 – 12 June 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Karl-Martin Hentschel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Eka von Kalben | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-09-02)2 September 1969 (age 56) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Alliance 90/The Greens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Hermann Habeck, Hildegard (Granzow) Habeck | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Flensburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Freiburg Roskilde University University of Hamburg (MA,Dr. phil.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Habeck (German:[ˈʁoːbɛʁtˈhaːbɛk]ⓘ; born 2 September 1969) is a German writer and former politician (Alliance 90/The Greens) who served asVice Chancellor of Germany,Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in thecabinet ofChancellorOlaf Scholz and as aMember of the German Bundestag forFlensburg – Schleswig from 2021 to 2025. From 2018 to 2022, he also served as co-leader of Alliance 90/The Greens, alongsideAnnalena Baerbock. For the2021 German federal election, he was a member of the leading duo, alongside Baerbock, who ran forchancellor of Germany.
In 2009, Habeck was voted into thestate parliament of Schleswig-Holstein as a deputy of The Greens and becamegroup chairman. In bothearly elections in 2012 and at thefederal elections in 2017 he ran as the top candidate of his party. From 2012 to 2018 he held office as deputyminister-president andminister for energy revolution, agriculture, environment, and nature (since 2017 fordigitisation as well) for thecabinet of Albig as well as for thecabinet of Günther. After he was elected federal chairman of his party in 2018, he retired from his function as minister.[1] In the 2025 federal elections, Habeck ran for the office of chancellor. However, his bid was unsuccessful, as his party's share of the vote fell to 11.6 percent, a drop of 3.1 percentage points.[2] He also lost his direct mandate from hiselectoral district ofFlensburg – Schleswig, but still entered the21st Bundestag through thestate list.[3]
Habeck passed his final secondary school examinations in 1989 at the Heinrich Heine School inHeikendorf in thePlön district. After completing hisalternative civilian service in 1991 he began studying for amaster's degree with a combination ofphilosophy,German andphilology at theAlbert Ludwigs University inFreiburg im Breisgau.[4] After the intermediate examination in 1992/93 he attendedRoskilde University in Denmark.[5] In 1996 Habeck received a master's degree from theUniversity of Hamburg.[6] From 1996 to 1998 he completed a doctorate at the University of Hamburg and was awarded adoctorate in philosophy in 2000, with a thesis on the depiction of nature in literature.[7]
From 1999 Habeck and his wife Andrea Paluch worked as freelance writers. In addition to children's books and translations of English poetry, Habeck, with Paluch, published six novels, among others,Hauke Haien's Death (2001),The Day I Met My Dead Man (2005) andUnder the Gully Lies the Sea (2007).[8] Habeck is fluent inDanish.[9]
In 2009, Habeck was elected to theSchleswig-HolsteinLandtag via the party list.[10] In November 2011, he was voted as the top candidate of his party for the 2012 Schleswig-Holstein election. From 2009 to 2012, Habeck was chairman of the Alliance 90/The Greens group in Schleswig-Holstein.
Habeck served as Deputy Minister-President and State Minister for Energy, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas in thecentre-leftAlbig Cabinet since 2012 and in the centre-rightGünther Cabinet between 2017 and 2018. Under his leadership – he was not a candidate for parliament – the Green Party became the third largest group in the Landtag after the2017 state elections. As one of his state's representatives at theBundesrat, he served on the Committee on Agricultural Policy and Consumer Protection; the Committee on the Environment, Nature Protection and Reactor Safety; the Committee on Economic Affairs; and the Committee on Transport. From 2014 and 2016, Habeck was one of the members of Germany's temporary National Commission on the Disposal of Radioactive Waste.[11]
Habeck served as a Green Party delegate to theFederal Convention for the purpose of electing thePresident of Germany in 2012.[12] He ran to become one of the two top candidates for the Greens for the2017 German federal election, but lost by 75 votes toCem Özdemir.[13]
On 27 January 2018, the Green Party's national convention inHanover elected him as chairman, a position shared withAnnalena Baerbock.[14]
In an interview in 2018 Habeck positioned himself against an ethnic notion of nation, which he clearly differentiated from the notion of constitutive people.[15] Additionally, he warned of uncritically acquiring the demands ofidentity politics.[16]
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Habeck was elected to theBundestag in the2021 German federal election, defeating theCDU incumbentPetra Nicolaisen in the constituency ofFlensburg – Schleswig.[17][18]
On 1 September 2025, Habeck left the Bundestag. He was succeeded byMayra Vriesema.[19]
After the Greens agreed to form atraffic light coalition government with the centre-leftSocial Democrats andliberalFree Democrats, newChancellorOlaf Scholz named Habeck asMinister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action andvice chancellor in December 2021, making him one of the most powerful politicians inEurope.[20]
In March 2023, Habeck participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Japan inTokyo, chaired by Chancellor Scholz andPrime MinisterFumio Kishida.[21]
In an interview withDer Tagesspiegel at the end of May 2020, Habeck argued that theCOVID-19 pandemic was "maybe the first time" thathealth care was more important than the profit motive and economic growth. He added: "The moral is that we have to configure our economy in a way that it supports common interests and that it becomes crisis-proof as well." Part of this was environmental andclimate change mitigation, saying: "The time of minor compromises is over. All parties can think much bigger." The money that had been made liquid for the crisis management must also be used to fight theeconomic crisis as well as theclimate crisis. The past idea that aspeed-limit on theAutobahn would restrict personal freedom seemed ridiculous after the decisions that had been made concerning the COVID crisis. He stated: "If one acts brave enough, one can broadly anchor the willingness of change. Ambitious politicians have received asecond wind".[22]
On 6 May 2021, Habeck demanded the federal government waive patent rights for theCOVID-19 vaccine.[23]
In April 2022, Habeck presented a package of measures to speed up Germany's expansion of renewable energy, as the need to reduce the country's heavy reliance on Russian fossil fuels added urgency to its green transition plans; the package envisaged green energy accounting for 80% of the power mix by 2030, up from about 40% in 2022 and a previous target of 65%.[24]
An opponent ofnuclear energy, Habeck pushed against efforts at the EU level in 2022 to label nuclear power as a sustainable and green energy source.[25] However, amid the2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute, he announced plans to keep two of Germany's three remaining nuclear power stations on standby, beyond a year-end deadline to ditch the fuel, to ensure enough electricity supply through the winter during a gas crunch.[26] When energy-intensiveGerman industry andGerman exporters were hit particularly hard by the2021–present global energy crisis,[27][28][29] Habeck presented on 29 September 2022 a €200 billion plan to support industry and households.[30]
On 5 October 2022, Habeck accused theUnited States and other "friendly" gas supplier nations that they were profiting from the Ukraine war with "astronomical prices". He called for more solidarity by the US to assist energy-pressed allies in Europe.[31] Habeck supported theEuropean Green Deal. In June 2022, he said: "In the middle of Europe's biggest energy crisis, we have launched one of the most comprehensive climate packages in EU history."[32] In July 2023, Habeck stated that theGerman transition to green energy will "put a burden on people" and there's "a major transformational period ahead of us until 2030".[33] He called for aphase-out of coal by 2030.[34] In January 2024, he became the target ofprotests by German farmers for his role in promoting green policies and pushing for cuts in agricultural subsidies.[35][36]
In November 2023, Habeck led efforts on backstoppingSiemens Energy with guarantees worth€7.5 billion ($8.1 billion) as part of a deal with other stakeholders to help the energy company fulfil its order book; the guarantees were part of a package totaling€15 billion agreed with private banks and other stakeholders and also imposed a pause on dividends and higher level bonuses.[37]
AfterRussia's invasion of Ukraine, Habeck's ministry vetoed extending the life of Germany's remainingnuclear plants, arguing that the costs involved outweighed the benefits. Critics said thatnuclear energy was a way to reduce Germany's reliance on Russian gas.[38] Habeck cautioned, "If we do not obtain more gas next winter and if deliveries from Russia were to be cut then we would not have enough gas to heat all our houses and keep all our industry going".[39] On 20 March 2022, he metQatar's EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Habeck said Germany reached a long-term energy partnership with Qatar, one of the world's largest exporters ofliquefied natural gas,[40] and added: "Although we might still need Russian gas this year, in the future it won't be so any more. And this is only the start".[41] Habeck said Germany plans to end imports of Russian natural gas by mid-2024.[42] According to Habeck, the planned end ofRussian energy imports will permanently raise energy prices for German industry and consumers.[43] In June 2022, Habeck warned that Germany is facing a "more significant"energy crisis than during the1973 oil crisis.[44] The last three nuclear power plants in Germany were shut down on 15 April 2023.[45]
In April 2024, there was a controversy related to thedecommissioning of nuclear power plants in Germany.[46][47] German magazineCicero claimed that Habeck had misled the public in 2022 and ignored the advice of experts who said nuclear facilities were still safe to operate.[48]
Under Habeck's leadership, the ministry stoppedBeijing-based Aeonmed Group in April 2022 from purchasing German medical device manufacturer Heyer Medical, based on a government assessment that there were dangers to public safety.[49] In November 2022, he formally blocked Silex, a Swedish subsidiary of China's Sai Microelectronics, from buying aElmos Semiconductor plant for €85 million, saying the country had to protect key industries from potential security threats.[50]
Habeck voiced support for theEuropean Union–Mercosur free trade agreement,[51] saying the agreement would be "an opportunity for South America as well as for Europe and for Germany".[52]
In September 2022, Habeck confirmed that Germany approved new arms export deals toSaudi Arabia, despite the ban imposed as a result of theSaudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen.[53] The biggest importers of German weapons wereSouth Korea,Algeria andEgypt.[53]
Habeck repeatedly declared himself in favor of importingillegal migrants from the camps on the Greek islands.[54][55] In November 2020, Habeck presented a 11-points-action-plan against potential and a controversialIslamic"Gefährder" – individuals deemed a security risk due to extremist views without necessarily being accused of a crime – which he worked out withKonstantin von Notz andIrene Mihalic, politicians fordomestic policy. One topic of this paper is to recruit more staff for the local authorities to make closersurveillance and eventually a more consequent enforcement of prevailing arrest warrants possible. Another aspect of these demands was the prohibition of relevantSalafist associations.[56] In October 2023, Habeck called for moreimmigration to Germany, saying the shortage of skilled workers was the country’s "most pressing structural problem".[57] Net immigration to Germany was 663,000 in 2023, down from a record 1,462,000 in 2022.[58] Germany's 2023 immigration reforms include easier requirements for obtaining work visas for skilled workers from non-EU countries.[59] In July 2024, Habeck suggested the tax relief for skilled foreign workers.[60] In September 2024, in response to the threat of mass layoffs at theVolkswagen car manufacturer, Habeck said that the government would consider how it could help Volkswagen.[61] He said that the government should support the transition toelectric cars.[62]
On 2 November 2023, Habeck posted a video onX/Twitter about the protests in Germany in relation to theGaza war.[63] He declared that the burning of the flag of Israel and praise for Hamas is a felony in Germany and stated: "Germans will have to answer for this in court, while non-Germans also risk losing their residence status. Anyone who does not yet have a residence permit provides a reason to be deported." ("Wer Deutscher ist, wird sich dafür vor Gericht verantworten müssen, wer kein Deutscher ist, riskiert außerdem seinen Aufenthaltsstatus. Wer noch keinen Aufenthaltstitel hat, liefert einen Grund, abgeschoben zu werden.")[64] His video received wide recognition in Germany and was viewed more than 42 million times in the first two weeks.[65][66]
On 11 January 2024, while visitingSderot near the Gaza strip, Habeck called the lawsuitSouth Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention) to be one of the biggest absurdities ("eine der größten Absurditäten") one could come up with. The vice-chancellor of Germany declared: "but genocide is something else, it is the deliberate will to wipe out ethnic groups or religious communities, the deliberate extermination." ("Aber Völkermord ist etwas anderes, es ist das gezielte Auslöschenwollen von Ethnien oder religiösen Gemeinschaften, das gezielte Auslöschen.")[67]
In May 2024, however, he argued that Israel's actions, especially theRafah offensive, are "incompatible with international law".[68]
In March 2024 Habeck said:[69]
We cannot rely on the Americans to always foot the bill for everything or to provide the necessary materials. That means that ramping up military production, the defense and armaments industries, and scenarios including for national defense — these all need to be reactivated again.
Supported by non-profit organization Hate Aid, Habeck had filed more than 700 criminal complaints on hate crimes by 2024.[70]
In November 2024, two days after theFDP left the coalition due to the ongoing political crisis, which subsequently became a minority government and the Scholz cabinet was reshuffled, Habeck announced that he wanted to be nominated by the Greens as candidate for chancellor for thefederal election.[71] At the party conference on 17 November 2024, he was officially elected as candidate for chancellor by the Greens' delegates.[72]
Habeck is married with four children.[75][full citation needed] He is a vegetarian.[76] Hisbrother-in-law is fellow politicianStefan Birkner.[77]
His great-grandfather wasWalter Granzow, whose son Kurt Granzow, Habeck maternal grandfather, was an Obersturmführer in theSA.[78]
Der Vizekanzler erklärt in einem Video Israels Sicherheit als deutsche „Staatsräson" und verurteilt Antisemitismus – von links, rechts, von Muslimen.
(in German)Scholz Cabinet (2021–2025) | ||
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Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
