Bild newspaper reported on Sunday that Lower Saxony state premier Stephan Weil let Volkswagen edit his 2015 speech to the regional parliament addressing the diesel scandal. After vetting by VW, the speech, hailing VW as a “pearl of German industry,” made it sound like the carmaker didn’t manipulate emissions on purpose. Lower Saxony, Germany’s biggest state, has a 20% stake in VW—and Weil sits on its supervisory board.
No representatives from consumer protection or environmental groups were invited to the summit, provoking criticism that the government’s priority was shielding a lucrative industry, rather than holding it to account. “Maybe this relationship has gotten a little too close,” environment minister Barbara Hendricks said, following news last month that the country’s carmakers allegedly ran a price-fixing cartel for years.
Timo Lange of German non-profit organization LobbyControl notes that it is “embarrassing” that the VW scandal was uncovered by American authorities instead of German ones. Indeed, a glance at the number of auto execs who have made the transition to politics, and vice-versa, suggests a well-oiled revolving door. A few examples: Matthias Wissmann, the transport minister when Angela Merkel was environment minister, has been the president of the German Automotive Industry Association since 2007. Eckart von Klaeden was state secretary in the chancellery (part Angela Merkel’s inner circle after she won power) before becoming head of external relations for Daimler. Thomas Steg was deputy government spokesman for seven years, then joined Volkswagen as its chief lobbyist. Merkel’s campaign manager Joachim Koschnicke used to be Opel’s chief lobbyist.
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