Germany’s Vice Chancellor and economics minister, Robert Habeck, faces accusations of plagiarism in his 2000 doctoral thesis, The Nature of Literature.
On February 10, plagiarism expert Stefan Weber published a list of 128 instances where Habeck allegedly failed to cite sources properly. Weber claims Habeck may have never read many of the sources he cited, instead copying them from undisclosed references—an act that violates academic integrity.
Weber, who began investigating Habeck’s thesis in August 2024, said he was surprised by the swift backlash following his claims. Despite Habeck downplaying the allegations in a video, the University of Hamburg previously cleared his work of scientific misconduct. Weber responded, calling the media’s defense of Habeck “incredibly dishonest” and accusing two journalists of leaking his research to the Greens politician.
The University of Hamburg has pledged to reexamine Habeck’s thesis after the allegations resurfaced. Plagiarism scandals have a history of causing political fallout in Germany—former Conservative minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resigned in 2011 after his thesis was found to be heavily plagiarized. Other politicians, including Annalena Baerbock, have also faced similar accusations.
