Jochen Flasbarth is moving from the Ministry of the Environment to the European Climate Foundation

Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Federal Environment Ministry, is giving up his position and moving to one of the most influential climate protection organizations. As SPIEGEL learned from ministry circles, the supervisory board of the European Climate Foundation decided on Monday evening to appoint Flasbarth as Chief Executive Officer. The 64-year-old will succeed the Frenchwoman Laurence Tubiana, who is considered one of the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

According to the information, Flasbarth will take up his new post in February, but will probably give up his position in the Ministry of the Environment at the beginning of November. Heike Henn is to become the new state secretary there. She is currently heading the department for international environmental and climate protection.

Flasbarth has wanted to switch from federal to international climate policy for a long time. In 2016 he was supposed to succeed Achim Steiner as head of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), but was defeated by the Norwegian Erik Solheim. In 2018 he failed again in his second attempt, this time to the Danish Inger Andresen.

Flasbarth is now realizing his desire to move to the international level by moving to the European Climate Foundation. The foundation, headquartered in The Hague, is considered one of the world's most important donors for climate policy projects. In 2025 it had a budget of almost 258 million euros. Most of it comes from other foundations, such as the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Ikea or the Robert Bosch Foundation.

Climate protection is no longer a priority

Flasbarth is one of the federal government's most experienced climate and environmental protection experts. From 1992 to 2003 he headed the German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu), in 2003 he moved to the Federal Environment Ministry as head of the nature conservation department, and from 2009 to 2013 he was President of the Federal Environment Agency. Flasbarth then served as State Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment until 2021 - eight years in which climate and species protection were among the most important areas of German politics.

After four years in the Development Ministry, Flasbarth returned to the Environment Ministry in May 2025, albeit under completely different circumstances than the first time. The threat from an aggressive Russia, US President Donald Trump's policies and skyrocketing energy prices have caused climate protection to slide far down the federal government's list of political priorities.

However, according to government circles, this is not what motivated Flasbarth to leave, on the contrary: it ultimately motivated him to defend previous achievements. But the desire to work on an international level was even stronger.

Flasbarth's immediate move from the position of State Secretary to a climate foundation could also be met with criticism. The content of his new job is closely related to his previous position; he could benefit from contacts and knowledge from his time as State Secretary.

According to the Federal Civil Service Act, a new job that is “related” to the previous official activity can be reported for up to five years after the end of the term. In extreme cases, it can also be prohibited if there is a fear that “official interests will be impaired.”