On Wednesday, the federal cabinet decided to appoint the former Greenpeace boss Jennifer Morgan as special climate envoy in the Federal Foreign Office.

"I'm glad that international climate policy is getting a face in Germany today," said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on Wednesday in Berlin.

"This is a dream cast for me," she added, looking at Morgan.

Union politicians sharply criticized the personnel.

"The appointment of the environmental activist Jennifer Morgan to the Federal Foreign Office is a statement to climate activists," said the foreign policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Jürgen Hardt.

It is remarkable "that a green federal minister jumps so carelessly over the borders between statehood and lobbying".

Hardt warned that German climate foreign policy would lose its power of persuasion, especially towards skeptical countries, if it was now given the "Greenpeace label".

CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt told the newspaper "Münchner Merkur": "I find it surprising, even for this federal government, that international lobbyists are now supposed to take over the leadership of federal ministries, no matter what the matter is."

Baerbock: German embassies should become climate embassies

According to the cabinet decision, the 55-year-old Morgan will initially work as a special representative for international climate policy for the Federal Foreign Office from March.

Later she is to become State Secretary there for this area of ​​responsibility.

The background is that Morgan has been an American citizen so far and her ongoing naturalization process for Germany has not yet been completed.

Morgan has co-chaired Greenpeace International since 2016 alongside Bunny McDiarmid.

She will now "steer our international climate policy as a tax woman," said Baerbock.

Her appointment is also an expression of the global nature of the climate crisis and the fight against it.

Baerbock also announced that she would “turn German embassies into climate embassies” by reallocating resources.

"I'm very honored by the trust," Morgan said of her appointment.

"I accept this important task with joy and determination." She wants to contribute her international experience in order to promote the climate policy goals of Germany and the EU worldwide.

"Time is short, we need unprecedented international cooperation," emphasized the climate expert.

For Germany, Morgan was already a member of the German government's advisory body during the EU Council Presidency in 2007, headed by climate researcher Hans Joachim Schellnhuber.

Morgan studied German in the USA and lived in Germany for a long time.

The anti-corruption organization Transparency International considers the planned change of the previous Greenpeace boss to a government office to be largely unproblematic.

"The goal is to promote climate protection in the Foreign Ministry, you need experts for that," said the chairman of Transparency International in Germany, Hartmut Bäumer, the editorial network Germany.

"It's not about financial benefits for Greenpeace, but about non-material concerns.

That is the difference to other associations, where business lobbyism is in the foreground.”