After political defeats, the former FDP party leader is now joining the e-fuel startup GLE360.
If he had been one of the founders himself, Christian Dürr once told us that he would have founded an innovative crepe stand (whatever that means). It’s a shame that nothing will come of it. Because now it has been announced: the former FDP boss is moving to the energy startup GLE360. As the new managing director, Dürr will lead the Munich company from August, reports the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ). The startup wants to simplify trading in climate-friendly fuels.
The new task suits him “emotionally and politically,” Dürr told the FAZ. “Cars, ships and airplanes can already be fueled with renewable fuels. What’s missing is a platform for producers and buyers. That’s exactly what GLE360 is working on.”
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As an FDP politician, Dürr supported e-fuels
Its founders Michael Kühlwein and Justus Holzmann founded the startup last year. According to the FAZ, they employ 46 people. According to its own statement, GLE360 brings producers and companies together. A digital platform takes over processes such as purchasing, transport and certification so that companies can more easily switch to renewable fuels.
By joining the startup, Dürr is continuing his scientific and political work. The economist once wrote his diploma thesis on “selected problems of CO2 emissions trading”. As chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, he advocated the approval of internal combustion engines in the European Union beyond 2035, provided they are operated with e-fuels, e-diesel and biodiesel.
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However, after the break of the traffic light government and the new elections in March 2025, the FDP left the Bundestag. Shortly afterwards, Dürr replaced Christian Lindner as party chairman. Even under Dürr, the FDP missed re-entry into parliament in state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Dürr recently lost the internal power struggle in the FDP against Wolfgang Kubicki.
