Joschka Fischer

After leaving active politics, Fischer became an adviser on international and energy matters, notably for the Nabucco gas pipeline project and groups such as RWE, alongside a wider portfolio of corporate consultancy work. His use of political networks and move into advisory roles for major corporations attracted revolving-door criticism and questions about consistency with his environmentalist past.

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Personally implicated

The relaxation of visa-issuing practices, notably through the 'Volmer-Erlass', was accused of facilitating abuses, irregular migration and certain criminal networks. A parliamentary inquiry examined the affair in 2005. Fischer acknowledged errors and accepted political responsibility while defending the principle of a more open procedure.

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Political responsibility

Old photographs showing Fischer during street clashes in Frankfurt, notably striking a police officer, resurfaced in 2001 and triggered a national debate about his past in the radical left. Fischer acknowledged participating in violence and throwing stones during his activist youth.

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Personally implicated

Following his testimony at the trial of former activist Hans-Joachim Klein, Fischer came under investigation on suspicion of perjury concerning events from his activist years. The investigation was closed after witnesses provided evidence in his favour and the suspicion was insufficiently substantiated.

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Directly implicated

Fischer defended German military involvement in the Kosovo War, the Bundeswehr's first major participation in a war since 1945, triggering a profound crisis within the Greens. At the Bielefeld party congress, he was confronted and injured by a paint-filled projectile. His formulation combining 'never again war' and 'never again Auschwitz' was defended as a humanitarian justification and criticised as exploiting history.

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Political responsibility

The conflict over the Alkem/Nukem nuclear facilities and the conditions imposed by the Greens led to the breakdown of the SPD–Green coalition in Hesse. Fischer was dismissed as minister in February 1987, an episode that became symbolic of the difficulty early red–green governments faced in reconciling institutional compromise with an anti-nuclear stance.

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Political responsibility

As Hesse Environment Minister, Fischer faced controversy over the export of hazardous industrial waste from Hoechst to the Schönberg landfill in East Germany. The affair prompted protests even within his own environmentalist camp, illustrating the tension between government responsibilities and activist demands.

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Political responsibility

When taking his oath as the first Green minister in a German state government, Fischer wore trainers with his suit. The episode, which earned him the nickname 'Turnschuhminister', sparked a widely publicised controversy over respect for institutional conventions and the Greens' transformation from a protest movement into a governing party.

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Directly implicated