Most recently, Robert Habeck seemed almost happy to have found the "one mistake too many" of his counted state secretary Patrick Graichen. "New insights" about Graichen's shirt-sleeved handling of posts and orders offered the Green Minister of Economics the opportunity to drop the strategic head of the increasingly brutal energy policy – without merely appearing as a cold power man.
This could put an end to the personnel affair. However, it will only be a liberation blow for Habeck and the traffic light coalition if controversial legislative proposals are changed, the driving force of which was Graichen and his lobby bubble.
Realistic transitional periods are needed
At the center of interest is the question of heating. Contrary to what Green politicians would have us believe, it is not just about more "social compensation", i.e. higher subsidies for the replacement of fossil heating systems. Many citizens doubt whether the heat pump is as good and practical as the old boiler and as cheap as it is praised in electricity operation.
The answer to such well-founded scepticism is not money, but realistic transition periods. It takes time for word to get around about what new technology is good for. The electric car is now picking up speed because the industry is making improvements and acquaintances are sharing their experiences. This is the only way to give those willing to switch the feeling that they can correctly assess the disadvantages and advantages for themselves.
A heat transition that is pushed through politically in a hurry costs a lot of trust and even more money – the coalition does not have either of these in excess. It should therefore generously relax the deadlines for replacing heating systems as a signal that it does not want to abuse citizens as guinea pigs for ideologically motivated energy policy.
Other projects also deserve a new assessment. Economists are concerned about the risks and contradictions of the Energy Efficiency Act, which aims to sharply reduce Germany's energy consumption by 2030. What does this mean for growth and prosperity, which industry has a future? Habeck may also find better answers to this question without Graichen.