Michael Kellner, the economic policy spokesperson for the Green Party, criticized Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU), accusing her government of unnecessarily relying on external consultants. Speaking to Politico, Kellner contrasted this reliance with the need to support small and medium-sized enterprises (Mittelstand).
He specifically argued that Reiche’s ministry simultaneously cut funding for the Mittelstand promotion program ZIM while awarding multi-million euro contracts to consulting firms. Kellner dismissed the ministry’s rationale-that internal expertise was lacking-stating that the contracts were issued for broad industrial policy. He asserted that the necessary know-how is already present within the ministry, noting that external consultation should only be used for extraordinary tasks, such as building LNG terminals or nationalizing energy companies.
Kellner also sharply criticized the restructuring of the ministry under Reiche. He claimed that she indiscriminately dismissed capable civil servants, regardless of their party affiliation, and had effectively “run the house into a state of serious functional impairment,” leading her now to hire expensive external advisors.
Furthermore, Kellner argued that the coalition’s promise to save money had been broken. He pointed out, “They said they wanted to curb consulting contracts. Now they are expanding them.” He concluded that consultants cannot resolve political conflicts within the federal government: “If the ministers argue amongst themselves, they will argue. I don’t think consultation helps much there.”
