It’s a political coup that the new German Foreign Minister has just pulled off. Ecologist Annalena Baerbock presented her new “special representative for international climate policy” at midday, who is none other than the president of the NGO Greenpeace.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
It is in an almost perfect German that Jennifer Morgan spoke alongside Annalena Baerbock. The American studied Goethe’s language at university and has lived in Berlin since 2003, as she recalled, although the headquarters of Greenpeace, which she has headed since 2016, is in the Netherlands.
Jennifer Morgan will be the “climate ambassador” at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany from March 1. As soon as her naturalization is completed, she will therefore become Secretary of State.
” I don’t know anyone in the world who has such expertise, such a network and such credibility, says Annalena Baerbock. Jennifer Morgan is the ideal person for this position and an important symbol for the defense of the environment in the world. »
Betting on soft power
Jennifer Morgan will represent germany at international climate conferences like this fall in Egypt. It must also coordinate with other departments on an international initiative.
” I want to bring my long experience on these issues to support Germany’s policy, whose energy turnaround is a model in the world. We will actively use this soft power in the future “, explained the new climate ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Several Christian Democrat leaders have denounced the appointment of a ” lobbyist “. Transparency International sees no conflict of interest in this appointment.
►To read: Germany dreams of being a champion of renewables, how to achieve this?