German economy minister cancels trip to COP28 amid budget crisis

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck will no longer fly to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference because he was needed in Germany to carry on negotiations over the 2024 budget, a government spokesperson said on Sunday. Habeck was due to fly on Monday evening to attend COP28 and then travel to Oman, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck will no longer fly to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference because he was needed in Germany to carry on negotiations over the 2024 budget, a government spokesperson said on Sunday.

Habeck was due to fly on Monday evening to attend COP28 and then travel to Oman, Israel and Saudi Arabia. However, he was asked by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to postpone his trip and prioritise ongoing talks in the coalition government on how to tackle a 17-billion-euro ($18.50 billion) gap blown in the 2024 budget by a

constitutional court ruling last month.

"Robert Habeck is cancelling his planned trip to COP and the region in consultation with, and at the request of the federal chancellor, and postponing it to the next possible date," the spokesperson said. Both Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Scholz attended the conference, which started on November 30 and runs until December 12.

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