The European elections in a week are considered a key event for the European Union. Economics Minister Robert Habeck speaks in an interview on the topic of “Economic responses to the rise of nationalism”. The conversation in the ticker transcript.

1:49 p.m.: Habeck is asked whether it is not a contradiction to combine economic growth and climate protection in one ministry. “If you do it wrong, then sure. But it is my mission to ensure that this is not the case.” Then the interview is over, although there are “still a lot of great questions” – only the time allocated for it has already passed.

1:45 p.m.: When asked, Habeck says that “the obsession with talking about gender and meat consumption lies with Markus Söder.” “Nobody here says that this is the most important problem of our time.” This is met with applause from the crowd.

1:43 p.m.: The fact that the mood has turned against the Greens also makes Habeck think. “Something has gone completely off the rails, some people might find that funny, but I don’t,” says the minister. He also explains what led to this in his view. The Greens were founded as a problem-solving party – and transforming that into the present and future is difficult. “The country has to decide: does it want political success for parties that want to leave everything behind or for those whose ethos is to solve problems?” His appeal is clear: “I want to solve things – and I have the feeling that the wind is changing again.”

1:41 p.m.: “Now we’re going to create a homogenous society again, where everyone is called Müller, Habeck or Meier – that’s bullshit,” complains Habeck, complaining that the AfD is doing exactly that. “And it doesn’t deserve a vote.” The audience appreciates this with applause.

1:38 p.m.: Habeck speaks about the situation in Israel: “Israel has the right to self-defense, but must abide by international law. Civilian victims must be spared as much as possible. I don’t see that happening. That’s why we told them that they have to change their way of waging war.”

1:35 p.m.: Habeck also explains that he spends too much money on audio books.

1:33 p.m.: “I want us to reach the final and beat England or France. Otherwise, I am neutral and, in case of doubt, I always support the weaker team,” explains Habeck.

1:30 p.m.: Habeck explains that outside of Germany he has spent most of his time “in Denmark, politically in France and Belgium, because I always hang out in Brussels at the European Council.” He is met with laughter.

1:25 p.m.: Habeck responds to a comment from the audience: “If there is one problem the German automotive industry does not have, it is that it has moved too quickly with e-mobility and climate-neutral vehicles.” The audience laughs.

1:22 p.m.: “The grand coalition was great at adopting climate protection targets. But then it came to adopting concrete measures to achieve them? It has to be said that the grand coalition has completely failed,” said Habeck clearly.

1:19 p.m.: “There is a different phenomenon in the USA. You have to understand how right-wing populism works. The question of how Germany and Europe organize immigration is a relevant social question. And there are numerous other questions. These are relevant questions for many people. Now right-wing populism is taking relevant questions and polemicizing them so much that they can no longer be solved sensibly in a democratic sense,” said Habeck.

1:16 p.m.: Habeck only briefly comments on Friedrich Merz: “I understand Merz’s statements to mean that nothing constructive is being done with us anymore. My party acted differently during Corona and tried to be constructive. I think you are rewarded for being constructive. But he must know that himself.” The audience immediately applauds.

1:12 p.m.: “There is of course a connection between loss of income and prosperity and irritability. This does not have to happen, but it can be transported into right-wing radical parties,” said Habeck.

1:08 p.m.: The Minister of Economic Affairs continues: “If you imagine what Germany should be like, then it should be like the recent celebrations. That was great. Stable democracy also has an economic dimension. That is the social market economy. That is a balance.”

1:06 p.m.: Contradictions are thought of together. This has been transferred to Europe. The founding of the European Union was based on the economy. It was about Europeanizing the German prosperity model,” said Habeck.

1:04 p.m.: Habeck starts and is immediately interrupted by Klamroth. Klamroth asks him about the incidents in Sylt. The audience laughs. Habeck says: “We were aware before Sylt that right-wing extremist ideas are not only found in fringe groups. We have already seen this in some studies. This is not a phenomenon of people who feel left behind.”

1:00 p.m.: The interview starts!

12.24 p.m.: Welcome to the live ticker from FOCUS online. A good week before the European elections, Robert Habeck is interviewed by moderator Louis Klamroth and answers questions. The Minister of Economic Affairs is speaking on the subject of “Economic responses to the rise of nationalism.” You can follow the conversation here in the live ticker from 1 p.m.