Protection, Environment, Mobility, Energy and Forests. Career in federal politics In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Spiegel was part of her party's delegation in the working group on climate protection and energy policy, co-chaired by Matthias Miersch, Oliver Krischer and Lukas Köhler. On 25 November 2021, she was nominated by the federal board of the Greens as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the Scholz cabinet. She took office on 8 December. Spiegel was nominated by her party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022. During the flood in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2021, Spiegel was state environment minister. She was on vacation in France during the disaster. Spiegel had (falsely) stated that she had attended a cabinet meeting in Rhineland-Palatinate during her vacation. Up from March 2022, Spiegel was heavily criticized because internal documents revealed that she was more concerned with making her ministry look good than with assuming responsibility for the disaster. Spiegel resigned from her post on 11 April 2022. She stated: "Due to political pressure, I decided today to make the office of Federal Minister for Family Affairs available. I am doing this to avert damage to the office, which is facing major political challenges." She made no reference to her alleged mistakes in the statement. Other activities Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO), Ex-officio co-chair of the Board of Governors (2021–2022) German Foundation for Active Citizenship and Volunteering (DSEE), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2021–2022) Total E-Quality initiative, Member of the Board of Trustees (2021–2022) Political positions Within the Green Party, Spiegel is considered to be part of its left wing. Criticism After a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death by her Afghan-born ex-boyfriend in Kandel in 2017, Spiegel – in her capacity as state minister in charge of integration – faced such massive hostility and threats that she was given personal protection. Flood disaster in the Ahr valley In March 2022, text messages that Spiegel exchanged with her press spokesman while she was Rhineland-Palatinate's environment minister and that were available to the 18/1 investigative committee of the state parliament on the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate became public. According to reports in the FAZ and other media, these