With heart and soul

François Bausch looks great. Since stepping back from active politics just before the summer break, the soon-to-be 68-year-old seems to have rejuvenated. When we mention this to him, he excitedly tells us that he recently started meditating, though he repeatedly says "mediation" instead of "meditation" during the conversation, which somehow seems fitting: Bausch as a mediator between the different currents within the Green Party.

The long-serving minister announced his retirement from active politics himself via a press release, which, with his characteristic self-confidence, he titled "35 Years in the Service of the Public". For 18 years, he was able to directly implement his "ideas and projects in the interest of society" in the executive: whether as the First Alderman in the capital, responsible for finance and mobility (2005 to 2013), as Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Mobility, Internal Security, and Defense (2013 to 2023), as Deputy Prime Minister (2019 to 2023), and even in the opposition, where he and his colleagues were able to "achieve a great deal".

Bausch is likely one of the few local politicians to have had a biography written about them during their lifetime, namely Der Un-Geduldige. Sketches of a Political Life by Romain Meyer.

When asked about his new daily routine, Bausch mentions that it looks completely different now, and he once again brings up his practice of mediation – pardon, meditation – which he finds quite fascinating. "It's mainly about letting go of burdens. Throughout all those decades in politics, I was always fully committed, heart and soul. Now I have time to reflect on myself and my life."