Successor found: Philipp Nimmermann takes over the post of State Secretary from Patrick Graichen. The Hesse is an old acquaintance of Habeck.
Berlin – New state secretary found after the whirlwind of the groomsmen affair: After the announced separation from Patrick Graichen, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) has apparently appointed a successor. The Greens politician Philipp Nimmermann is to take over the post in the future, like that Southgerman newspaper first reported on Monday (May 22). The 57-year-old is currently still working for the Hessian state government. When exactly Nimmermann will move to Berlin was not yet clear. However, the training period should not take too long. Habeck and Nimmermann are old companions.
Secretary of State: | Philipp Nimmermann (Greens) |
Age: | 57 years |
Profession: | economist |
Private: | married, two children |
After the best man affair: Habeck takes Philipp Nimmermann as Graichen’s successor
In the past two weeks, Patrick Graichen’s best man affair had caused a stir nationwide. After various felt allegations and great public pressure, Habeck dismissed his state secretary last Wednesday. Philipp Nimmermann, who has been State Secretary in the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs since 2019, is now to take over from Tarek Al-Wasir (Greens). Previously, Nimmermann was Secretary of State for Finance to Minister Monika Heinold in Schleswig-Holstein. From this time he also knows Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, who was then Vice Prime Minister and State Minister for the Environment in the north.
Habeck confirmed the personnel in the morning. The minister said: Nimmermann will “rethink the processes with a fresh perspective, integrate the different perspectives with his experience and advance the energy transition, the heat transition and the transformation with his stringency”.
The Greens Chairwoman in the Energy Committee, Lisa Badum, also commented positively on the personnel decision. She was glad that Graichen’s successor had been arranged so quickly, she told the news agency dpa. It is good to have someone with a lot of administrative experience in the position.
Philipp Nimmermann becomes Graichen’s successor: Who is the new Secretary of State for Energy?
In the Habeck house, Nimmermann will primarily be responsible for the topics of energy transition and climate protection. He is not a proven environmental politician. The 57-year-old, who was born in Berlin and graduated from high school and university in Frankfurt, is an economist. Before entering politics, the doctor of economics held various positions at BHF Bank in Frankfurt.
In Berlin, Nimmermann now has to calm things down after the Graichen scandal and moderate the dispute over the heating law. The ex-secretary of state is to be placed on temporary retirement. He had made himself too vulnerable in the best man affair and mixed too much private with professional. He was instrumental in getting his best man, Michael Schaefer, a lucrative position as managing director at the German Energy Agency (Dena). There were also inconsistencies in the advertisement of several expert opinions and in his doctoral thesis. For example, the planned financial support for a project by the BUND regional association in Berlin, on whose board Graichen’s sister, Verena Graichen, is, raised many questions. (jkf)
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