BERLIN (Reuters) – Federal Family Minister Anne Spiegel has apologized for her behavior as state minister during the 2021 flood disaster, but is sticking to her position.
In a public statement on Sunday, the Green politician gave family reasons as the reason for her vacation as Rhineland-Palatinate Environment Minister ten days after the devastating flood. “It was a mistake that we went on vacation for so long and that we went on vacation. I apologize for this mistake,” said Spiegel.
The Green politician has been criticized for weeks for her crisis management in Rhineland-Palatinate after the flood. In her previous position, Spiegel was also responsible for disaster warnings. She had to answer to a committee of inquiry in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament. In the personal statement, the family minister pointed out on Sunday that her family with four children and her husband had been under a lot of strain due to the corona pandemic. Her husband also suffered a stroke in 2019 and then had to take it easy. In 2021, as Minister for Family Affairs in Rhineland-Palatinate, she took on too much of herself with the top candidate for the state elections and the provisional takeover of the Ministry of the Environment.
Spiegel emphasized that she took care of restoring the drinking water and electricity supply as well as the sewage treatment plants immediately after the flood. She was also in contact with her ministry while on vacation. However, contrary to what she stated, she did not join a cabinet meeting. “I didn’t take part in a cabinet meeting while on vacation,” said the Green politician. But she interrupted her vacation for a day to go to the Ahr Valley and then flew back to her family.
Just a few days ago, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser (CDU) resigned because of a holiday in Mallorca during the flood disaster. In the Union there were then demands for his resignation, also against Spiegel, and the accusation of double standards among the Greens. Junge Union boss Tilman Kuban again called for her resignation on Twitter after Spiegel’s statement on Sunday evening.