"Space for younger people" - Renate Künast leaves Green parliamentary group after Bundestag election
Former German Agriculture Minister and ex-Green Party leader Renate Künast will not run for office in the upcoming Bundestag election. "It's time to make way for younger people," wrote the Berlin representative, according to the "Tagesspiegel," in a letter to her Tempelhof-Schöneberg district association. However, the 68-year-old lawyer does not plan to completely leave politics, she wrote: "I remain a politician," and wants to see what tasks still come up.
Künast was the Bundnis90/Die Grünen party chair from 2000 to 2001. Since the 1980s, she has held mandates in the Berlin House of Representatives. From 2001 to 2005, she was the Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture in the red-green coalition government. From 2005 to 2013, she held the position of Fraktionsvorsitzendin (faction leader) of the Greens in the Bundestag.
Renate Künast will advocate for farmers and children
Agriculture is a topic that Künast has not been able to let go of since her tenure as minister, she wrote in the "Tagesspiegel," reminding readers of the BSE scandal and the agricultural reform. In the remaining months as a deputy, she wants to advocate for projects in this field, she wrote, who since 2021 has been the spokesperson for her faction for Food and Agriculture. "We must realign payments to agriculture, set incentives for climate protection, soil and water protection, and the protection of biodiversity."
Additionally, she wants to support the Child Marketing Act on excessively sugary food from Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens), she wrote in the "Tagesspiegel" further. "This task is not trivial. Nutrition-related diseases are now among the leading causes of death."
Despite Opting out of the upcoming Federal election, Renate Künast, formerly the Green Party leader and Agriculture Minister, intends to continue her advocacy within Alliance 90/The Greens. She expressed her support for initiatives related to agriculture, such as adjusting payment systems to promote climate protection, improving soil and water conservation, and enhancing biodiversity. Furthermore, Künast has shown her commitment to pushing for the Child Marketing Act against excessively sugary food in the Bundestag, a task assigned to Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir.
