Two years after his dismissal: Habeck's former state secretary Graichen wants to return to politics

As the architect of the Heating Act, Habeck's Energy State Secretary Graichen was at the forefront of the political storm. Then he fell over accusations of nepotism. Looking back, the avowed enemy of all fossil fuels is surprised by his own blindness. Now he wants to return to politics.

Two years after his dismissal, former Energy State Secretary Patrick Graichen spoke for the first time about the "best man affair" that led to his dismissal in May 2023. "I had tunnel vision," Graichen said in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung. "In retrospect, I would say: Even if you work 18 hours a day, you always have to take three steps back and ask yourself: What am I actually doing here?"

At the time, Graichen was involved in the appointment of a new head of the German Energy Agency. It later emerged that the candidate was his best man. "That was my personal mistake," Graichen admitted. Due to accusations of nepotism and growing political pressure, the Green Party's Federal Minister of Economics, Robert Habeck, ultimately dismissed him. "Ultimately, the goal was to overthrow Robert Habeck—or at least to massively weaken him," Graichen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung in retrospect.

At the time, Graichen was also considered the mastermind behind the so-called Heating Act, the first draft of which caused nationwide outrage. It was leaked while the traffic light coalition was still negotiating subsidy programs for heating system replacement, Graichen said. "The central mistake was certainly that we came across as cold technocrats." For weeks, the traffic light coalition was stuck in a "communication limbo" because the FDP blocked the subsidy. Graichen told the newspaper that he has since gotten over those times. For him, it was a fall back, but his family caught him. "The sleepless nights are certainly over."

"Can't just stand on the sidelines"

Graichen is currently planning a return to climate and energy policy. "Interested parties are already working to bring us back into gas dependency and to question the goal of climate neutrality by 2045. I can't just stand on the sidelines and watch," Graichen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. He added that there is currently a rollback in climate policy worldwide. "We are now in the phase of 'The Empire Strikes Back,'" Graichen said.

For two years after his dismissal, Graichen stayed away from public life. He now sits on the supervisory board of the Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo. "I'm now back to working on climate and energy policy and thinking about writing a book," Graichen said. The book will also focus on the battle between "clean electricity and dirty gas." "The job isn't done until global warming is stopped."