On 27 January 2018, the Green Party's national convention in
Hanover elected him as chairman, a position shared with
Annalena Baerbock. In an interview in 2018 Habeck positioned himself against an ethnic notion of nation, which he clearly differentiated from the notion of constitutive people. Additionally, he warned of uncritically acquiring the demands of
identity politics. Habeck was elected to the
Bundestag in the
2021 German federal election, defeating the
CDU incumbent
Petra Nicolaisen in the constituency of
Flensburg – Schleswig. On 1 September 2025, Habeck left the Bundestag. He was succeeded by
Mayra Vriesema.
Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs, 2021–2025 After the Greens agreed to form a
traffic light coalition government with the centre-left
Social Democrats and
liberal Free Democrats, new
Chancellor Olaf Scholz named Habeck as
Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and
vice chancellor in December 2021, making him one of the most powerful politicians in
Europe. In March 2023, Habeck participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Japan in
Tokyo, chaired by Chancellor Scholz and
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
COVID-19 pandemic In an interview with
Der Tagesspiegel at the end of May 2020, Habeck argued that the
COVID-19 pandemic was "maybe the first time" that
health care was more important than the profit motive and economic growth. He added: "The moral is that we have to configure our economy in a way that it supports common interests and that it becomes crisis-proof as well." Part of this was environmental and
climate change mitigation, saying: "The time of minor compromises is over. All parties can think much bigger." The money that had been made liquid for the crisis management must also be used to fight the
economic crisis as well as the
climate crisis. The past idea that a
speed-limit on the
Autobahn would restrict personal freedom seemed ridiculous after the decisions that had been made concerning the COVID crisis. He stated: "If one acts brave enough, one can broadly anchor the willingness of change. Ambitious politicians have received a
second wind". On 6 May 2021, Habeck demanded the federal government waive patent rights for the
COVID-19 vaccine.
Energy policy In April 2022, Habeck presented a package of measures to speed up Germany's expansion of renewable energy, as the need to reduce the country's heavy reliance on Russian fossil fuels added urgency to its green transition plans; the package envisaged green energy accounting for 80% of the power mix by 2030, up from about 40% in 2022 and a previous target of 65%. An opponent of
nuclear energy, Habeck pushed against efforts at the EU level in 2022 to label nuclear power as a sustainable and green energy source. However, amid the
2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute, he announced plans to keep two of Germany's three remaining nuclear power stations on standby, beyond a year-end deadline to ditch the fuel, to ensure enough electricity supply through the winter during a gas crunch. When energy-intensive
German industry and
German exporters were hit particularly hard by the
2021–present global energy crisis, Habeck presented on 29 September 2022 a €200 billion plan to support industry and households. On 5 October 2022, Habeck accused the
United States and other "friendly" gas supplier nations that they were profiting from the Ukraine war with "astronomical prices". He called for more solidarity by the US to assist energy-pressed allies in Europe. Habeck supported the
European Green Deal. In June 2022, he said: "In the middle of Europe's biggest energy crisis, we have launched one of the most comprehensive climate packages in EU history." In July 2023, Habeck stated that the
German transition to green energy will "put a burden on people" and there's "a major transformational period ahead of us until 2030". He called for a
phase-out of coal by 2030. In January 2024, he became the target of
protests by German farmers for his role in promoting green policies and pushing for cuts in agricultural subsidies. In November 2023, Habeck led efforts on backstopping
Siemens Energy with guarantees worth ($8.1billion) as part of a deal with other stakeholders to help the energy company fulfil its order book; the guarantees were part of a package totaling agreed with private banks and other stakeholders and also imposed a pause on dividends and higher level bonuses. After
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Habeck's ministry vetoed extending the life of Germany's remaining
nuclear plants, arguing that the costs involved outweighed the benefits. Critics said that
nuclear energy was a way to reduce Germany's reliance on Russian gas. Habeck cautioned, "If we do not obtain more gas next winter and if deliveries from Russia were to be cut then we would not have enough gas to heat all our houses and keep all our industry going". On 20 March 2022, he met
Qatar's Emir
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Habeck said Germany reached a long-term energy partnership with Qatar, one of the world's largest exporters of
liquefied natural gas, and added: "Although we might still need Russian gas this year, in the future it won't be so any more. And this is only the start". Habeck said Germany plans to end imports of Russian natural gas by mid-2024. According to Habeck, the planned end of
Russian energy imports will permanently raise energy prices for German industry and consumers. In June 2022, Habeck warned that Germany is facing a "more significant"
energy crisis than during the
1973 oil crisis. The last three nuclear power plants in Germany were shut down on 15 April 2023. In April 2024, there was a controversy related to the
decommissioning of nuclear power plants in Germany. German magazine
Cicero claimed that Habeck had misled the public in 2022 and ignored the advice of experts who said nuclear facilities were still safe to operate.
Foreign investments and free trade Under Habeck's leadership, the ministry stopped
Beijing-based Aeonmed Group in April 2022 from purchasing German medical device manufacturer Heyer Medical, based on a government assessment that there were dangers to public safety. In November 2022, he formally blocked Silex, a Swedish subsidiary of China's Sai Microelectronics, from buying a
Elmos Semiconductor plant for €85 million, saying the country had to protect key industries from potential security threats. Habeck voiced support for the
European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement, saying the agreement would be "an opportunity for South America as well as for Europe and for Germany".
Arms exports In September 2022, Habeck confirmed that Germany approved new arms export deals to
Saudi Arabia, despite the ban imposed as a result of the
Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen. The biggest importers of German weapons were
South Korea,
Algeria and
Egypt. In November 2020, Habeck presented a 11-points-action-plan against potential and a controversial
Islamic "Gefährder" – individuals deemed a security risk due to extremist views without necessarily being accused of a crime – which he worked out with
Konstantin von Notz and
Irene Mihalic, politicians for
domestic policy. One topic of this paper is to recruit more staff for the local authorities to make closer
surveillance and eventually a more consequent enforcement of prevailing arrest warrants possible. Another aspect of these demands was the prohibition of relevant
Salafist associations. In October 2023, Habeck called for more
immigration to Germany, saying the shortage of skilled workers was the country’s "most pressing structural problem". Net immigration to Germany was 663,000 in 2023, down from a record 1,462,000 in 2022. Germany's 2023 immigration reforms include easier requirements for obtaining work visas for skilled workers from non-EU countries. In July 2024, Habeck suggested the tax relief for skilled foreign workers. In September 2024, in response to the threat of mass layoffs at the
Volkswagen car manufacturer, Habeck said that the government would consider how it could help Volkswagen. He said that the government should support the transition to
electric cars.
2023 Gaza war and protests in Germany On 2 November 2023, Habeck posted a video on
X/Twitter about the protests in Germany in relation to the
Gaza war. He declared that the burning of the flag of Israel and praise for Hamas is a felony in Germany and stated: "Germans will have to answer for this in court, while non-Germans also risk losing their residence status. Anyone who does not yet have a residence permit provides a reason to be deported." ("") His video received wide recognition in Germany and was viewed more than 42 million times in the first two weeks. On 11 January 2024, while visiting
Sderot near the Gaza strip, Habeck called the lawsuit
South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention) to be one of the biggest absurdities () one could come up with. The vice-chancellor of Germany declared: "but genocide is something else, it is the deliberate will to wipe out ethnic groups or religious communities, the deliberate extermination." () In May 2024, however, he argued that Israel's actions, especially the
Rafah offensive, are "incompatible with international law".
Increased defense spending In March 2024 Habeck said:
Hate crimes Supported by non-profit organization Hate Aid, Habeck had filed more than 700 criminal complaints on hate crimes by 2024.
German government crisis In November 2024, two days after the
FDP left the coalition due to the ongoing political crisis, which subsequently became a minority government and the Scholz cabinet was reshuffled, Habeck announced that he wanted to be nominated by the Greens as candidate for chancellor for the
federal election. At the party conference on 17 November 2024, he was officially elected as candidate for chancellor by the Greens' delegates. ==Life after politics==