Monday, June 28, 2021
80 contacts with the auto industry
Scheuer only met once with the environmental lobby
The 80 direct contacts that Andreas Scheuer has had with the car industry since taking office as Minister of Transport include telephone calls, video conferences and “car summits”. Apparently he only had time for representatives of environmental organizations once.
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has had direct contact with representatives of the automotive industry 80 times since he took office – and only once with environmental associations. This emerges from a response from the ministry to a request from the Greens MP Sven-Christian Kindler. He referred to Scheuer as “Minister of the car lobby”. The ministry’s response lists all meetings, video conferences or telephone calls with representatives of the automotive industry since Scheuer took office in March 2018. Scheuer met with car managers at “Autogipfeln”, but also made direct phone calls or, for example, met the CEOs of VW and Daimler.
According to the list, Scheuer once met representatives of environmental organizations at a parliamentary evening of the “National Platform for the Future of Mobility” at the end of January 2020 – representatives of the automotive industry were also present. The ministry’s response said the data may not be complete. There is no obligation to record all conversations that have taken place.
Criticism from the Greens and BUND
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transport said the minister was in close contact with representatives of various interests. In addition to the automotive industry, this included railway companies, companies and associations for local public transport, the Association of the Railway Industry, representatives of the bicycle lobby, as well as air and sea transport. In discussions with the automotive industry and, above all, with the suppliers, the primary aim is to accompany the transformation of the industry with a view to climate-friendly drive technologies.
Kindler, on the other hand, said: “For the bosses of the car companies, the CSU minister can be reached day and night, while he lets the environmental groups down.” In recent years, Scheuer has fought vehemently against climate protection requirements for the automotive industry and the rapid switch to electromobility.
Jens Hilgenberg, Head of Transport Policy at the BUND environmental association, said: “It is unclear to us which environmental association Mr. Scheuer wants to have an exchange with during the NPM. As far as I know, there have been no personal discussions with the BUND in the four years. That is all the more astonishing , since individual car manufacturers showed and show interest in the assessments of the environmental associations on climate protection, the traffic turnaround and the transformation of the car industry. “
.