Overview
- Lawmakers questioned the economics minister behind closed doors after coalition members blocked a public hearing, with a motion to publish a verbatim record not adopted in full.
- Participants said Katherina Reiche acknowledged using her official car and driver to travel to the Seefeld event, which she described as a private visit allowed under rules that require declaring taxable benefits.
- The ministry told the committee she had no role in funding decisions for GovRadar, which received several grants including one before her tenure and another during it under the ZIM program reviewed by external project agencies.
- The summit was organized by her partner Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Sebastian Kurz, she was listed as a minister in event materials, and her office had initially denied her attendance before correcting the record.
- Greens criticized a lack of transparency and demanded independent checks on what counts as private, the SPD urged more ‘fingerspitzengefühl,’ and the AfD said the case does not amount to a scandal based on current information.