Millions in payments to the Climate Foundation – now the State Secretary himself is moving there

The outgoing State Secretary in the Federal Environment Ministry, Jochen Flasbarth (SPD), will be the new head of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). The 64-year-old is leaving the ministry at the beginning of November and is expected to take over the leadership of the influential climate protection foundation in February. The personnel were announced last week. The “Spiegel” is now giving numbers for the first time. WELT has already reported on a possible conflict of interest.

Flasbarth has many years of experience in climate and environmental policy. In the future he will lead the ECF with headquarters in The Hague. The foundation has an annual budget of 258 million euros and finances numerous NGOs, think tanks and institutes.

The change is also important because there are financial connections between the ECF and the Federal Environment Ministry. The ministry is supporting a foundation platform project. According to the report, around 1.13 million euros were spent on this in 2024 and around 486,000 euros in 2025. The funds had already been approved in 2020, when Flasbarth was State Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment. According to his spokesman, he was not directly involved in the award.

Flasbarth takes early retirement

Flasbarth is taking early retirement when he leaves the ministry. This is possible for civil servants for life from the age of 63. His current basic salary is a good 17,000 euros per month. His pension would initially be largely offset against his income from the ECF. According to the report, however, this only applies until the standard retirement age is reached in December 2028. Flasbarth could then receive a pension, which would be reduced by around eight percent due to early retirement, despite further private income. Given that she has been in the federal service for more than 23 years, “Spiegel” estimates that she earns at least 6,700 euros gross per month.

Criticism is primarily sparked by the short time between leaving the civil service and starting the new job. The organization Lobbycontrol considers a waiting period to be appropriate given the close connection between Flasbarth's previous work and the ECF's activities. Christina Deckwirth from Lobbycontrol told the “taz” that Flasbarth was moving to a position that would contribute to the common good. But: "With such changes, the question must always be asked whether potential follow-up activities have already been considered in a political office. Specifically: Was the money a kind of application to the foundation?"