In the summer of 2021, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Anne Spiegel (Greens) left for a four-week family vacation in France as Rhineland-Palatinate Environment Minister around ten days after the flood disaster on the Ahr.

The deputy government spokesman, Sebastian Kusche, confirmed a corresponding report by "Bild am Sonntag" on Sunday at the German Press Agency in Mainz.

However, Spiegel was always available and also took part in cabinet meetings via video.

He does not see any parallels to the case of the resigned NRW Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser (CDU).

Heinen-Esser resigned from her position on Thursday after it became known that she had celebrated a birthday with other members of the government in Mallorca a few days after the flood disaster in July 2021.

Vacation interrupted

CSU General Secretary Stephan Mayer told the "Bild am Sonntag": "Spiegel should take Heinen-Esser as an example and make your office available." Union parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei (CDU) told the "Rheinische Post": "If it When it comes to responsibility, she cannot be reached or is away.” He cannot imagine that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) “finds such an understanding of office good”.

The Rhineland-Palatinate opposition, CDU, Free Voters and AfD, also called for Spiegel's resignation again.

In the flood disaster in mid-July 2021, more than 180 people died in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, including 134 in the Ahr Valley.

Around 750 people were injured and large parts of the infrastructure and thousands of houses were destroyed.

Many people still live in emergency or alternative quarters.

Deputy government spokesman Kusche reported that Spiegel once interrupted her vacation to get an idea of ​​the situation on site.

She was also always available and was present at the cabinet meetings via video.

The 41-year-old, who is dependent on the summer holidays because of her four children, only drove after a crisis team had been set up in the Ministry for drinking water and sewage supply and waste disposal.

Spiegel had already come under criticism because she had worried about her political image in a short message exchange with her employees immediately after the night of the flood.

The Greens politician had said in the investigative committee of the state parliament in Mainz that the help for those affected in the Ahr Valley was of the utmost importance to her.

"It is absolutely wrong and I firmly reject the fact that at some point I had a different priority." In the multi-hour interrogation on March 11, unlike Heinen-Esser in the committee in North Rhine-Westphalia, Spiegel "fully answered every question," said Kusche .

"Fleeing Responsibility"

On the other hand, the CDU state chairman Christian Baldauf said that Spiegel was intolerable as a minister.

"A state minister who takes a four-week vacation during this serious disaster sets the wrong priorities."

The parliamentary director and chairman of the free voters in the state parliament investigation committee for the flood disaster, Stephan Wefelscheid, said: “Ms. Spiegel fled from responsibility.

When will she finally show strength of character, take the consequences and resign?” Her ministry was also responsible for water protection.

"The water was contaminated by oil, lubricants, faeces and much more." A captain belongs on the bridge at such a time, it's not enough to be available on vacation.

Spiegel had taken over the management of the environment ministry in Rhineland-Palatinate in January 2021 after the resignation of her party friend Ulrike Höfken in addition to the family, integration and consumer protection ministries.

After winning the state elections in March, the top candidate of the Greens took over the newly tailored climate protection ministry in Mainz - around two months before the flood disaster.

Before she moved to Berlin, the 41-year-old was also Deputy Prime Minister in Malu Dreyer's (SPD) second traffic light government.