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鈥淶ypries has ample experience as a minister and was state secretary under Gabriel. She will have her experts and I have no reason to doubt she would do a good job with the political management,鈥� Tobias Austrup, energy expert at Greenpeace Germany told 威力彩玩法.

This week Friday in the German parliament, Zypries will be sworn in as the country鈥檚 new top Energiewende manager, while Gabriel is set to take the oath as Germany鈥檚 next Minister for Foreign Affairs. Zypries was federal justice minister from 2002 to 2009.

Gabriel鈥檚 position as economy and energy minister needed to be filled after his not to run for Chancellor in this year鈥檚 federal elections. He left the candidacy to former European Parliament president and Social Democratic Party (SPD) colleague Martin Schulz, and decided to switch offices to become Germany鈥檚 new foreign minister to succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is to be elected German President on 12 February.

Greenpeace鈥檚 Austrup does not believe Zypries will use her experience to start major new initiatives. 鈥淚n the current pre-election phase I do not expect any policy agenda setting from the current government. And most energy related projects on the have already been completed or gotten off the ground in the past years.鈥�

Safe pair of hands

Zypries鈥� leadership will still matter, says Andreas Kuhlmann, Chief Executive of the German Energy Agency (dena). "I hope she will be courageous, decisive and curious enough to focus on innovation in energy transition and to lay the foundation for the important decisions that will have to be taken in the next legislative period," he told 威力彩玩法.

Newspaper commentators noted Zypries had not stood out in regards to energy policy. But most agreed that the former lawyer to manage the ministry until September's federal elections 鈥� the 鈥�,鈥� as conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung put it.

As in the economy ministry, Zypries has regularly filled in for Minister Gabriel since 2013, especially on digital policy, foreign trade, start-ups and industrial policy. Zypries 聽she planned to step down from federal politics after the elections in autumn.

Disputed legacy

Gabriel鈥檚 announcement overshadowed the minister鈥檚 own stock-take of his past three years steering Germany鈥檚 generational project Energiewende. At an energy industry conference in Berlin, Gabriel argued that Germany鈥檚 transition towards a low-carbon energy industry had been an overall economic success while further reform was needed.

Policy experts had mixed views on Gabriel鈥檚 legacy. Energy and climate expert Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) criticised the minister鈥檚 policy:

鈥�Capping the renewable energy development is counterproductive, the grid expansion is oversized and expensive, a structurally acceptable coal exit is lacking; instead, an inefficient and expensive 鈥榮crappage premium鈥� for old coal-fired power plants was introduced and industry exemptions extended. The low wholesale prices are not passed on to consumers, electricity prices are rising due to a lack of policy.

鈥淥n top of that, we lack a transport and heating transition. So the assessment of energy minister Gabriel is: very meagre. Brigitte Zypries will surely not be able or willing to change that,鈥� Kemfert told 威力彩玩法.

Renewable utility E.ON CEO Johannes Teyssen, on the other hand, praised Gabriel鈥檚 work. Speaking at business daily Handelsblatt鈥檚 annual energy industry conference, he said it was regrettable that 鈥渨e, as an industry, have lost our energy minister.鈥�

Gabriel had pursued a straightforward policy approach, although not always with the right touch, Teyssen explained. However, the minister had 鈥渁chieved many things many people didn鈥檛 believe he would achieve,鈥� he added.

Dena鈥檚 Kuhlmann agreed that Gabriel 鈥渉as probably been the most active and successful economy and energy minister we have had in a long time. He has tackled all the important issues that have been on the agenda,鈥� Kuhlmann told 威力彩玩法.