Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has faced extensive allegations of combining his official diplomatic trips with personal business interests.

On Friday, members of several opposition parties vehemently criticized the minister for bringing a business partner of his brother on a diplomatic trip to Asia in January, saying he had made the choice based more on his own interests than those of Germany.

"Westerwelle is damaging the federal republic, he is damaging the image of the foreign ministry," said Renate Kuenast, a senior figure in the Green party.

In connection with his latest whirlwind journey to South America, which he wrapped up Friday in Brazil, Westerwelle was criticized for bringing along his life partner, Michael Mronz, who was allegedly pursuing business opportunities in the sporting events industry.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel came out in defense of Westerwelle and his selection of business delegations that have accompanied him on past diplomatic journeys, saying she was "confident that the foreign minister's selections were in full compliance with the rules," according to a statement from Berlin on Friday.

How the process works

But the controversy surrounding Westerwelle's business delegations begs the question: How does the German foreign ministry choose which business representatives travel on official diplomatic journeys?

According to spokesman Stefan Bredohl, when the foreign ministry announces the planning of a trip, the German embassy in the host country puts together a list of economic areas of interest in that country and sends it to Berlin.

Particular emphasis, says Bredohl, is placed on regions where "significant projects - such as renewable energy, as was the case in China - are already in place where German companies can then further economic development."

The foreign ministry then consults the Federation of German Industry (BDI) to create a list of some 60 companies that could accompany the foreign minister.

Westerwelle has the final say which companies can send a representative to travel with him; in most cases, his business delegation consists of between 10 and 20 representatives.

Customary practice

According to Professor Thomas Fischer, a political scientist at the Brussels office of the Bertelsman Foundation, the delegations that accompany German diplomatic trips are "very similar" to those of other countries.

Fischer added that Westerwelle's "handpicking" of business representatives was "nothing new," and that "if foreign ministers couldn't choose the people they brought with them on their diplomatic journeys, this would be a disservice to both the German government and economy."

"Merkel, Schroeder, Steinmeier, they all formed their entourages themselves," Fischer told Deutsche Welle.

"In principle, there is nothing wrong with lobbyism, or with governments being accompanied by strategically chosen representatives. The question is, and I think this is relevant in the Westerwelle issue, is whether the representatives are actually strategically chosen," he added.

Westerwelle fights back

The allegations facing Westerwelle are indeed not based on whether he was pursuing economic interests on his trips, which has been the case in the past with his pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), but rather that he was pursuing merely personal interests.

Westerwelle strongly denied all claims against him on Friday and accused those who made the allegations of attempting to defame him and his family.

He added that all delegations he has brought with him since becoming foreign minister late last year "fully deserved to represent Germany and its economic interests abroad."

Author: Gabriel Borrud
Editor: Rob Turner