Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

History

The historical predecessor of the current Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy was the Reichswirtschaftsamt (Reich Economic Office), founded in 1917. In 1919, this became the Reichswirtschaftsministerium (Reich Ministry of Economy), which existed until 1945.

In postwar occupied Germany, its functions were exercised by the Administrative Office of Economy (German: Verwaltungsamt für Wirtschaft) between 1946 and 1949. After the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Ministry of Economics (German: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft) existed from 1949 to 1998. From May 1971 to December 1972, it was temporarily merged with the Federal Ministry of Finance, in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Finance. In 1998 the technology section of the Ministry of Research was added, making it the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Between 2002 and 2005, it was merged with parts of the former Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour. In the cabinet under Angela Merkel, the two parts were once again split up in 2005, so that there was, once again, a Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Structure

The Ministry is organised into 9 departments and one central department.

Central Administration – Z

Political Staff and Policy Planning - L

European Policy – E

Economic Policy – I

Energy Policy: Heating and Efficiency – II

Energy Policy: Electricity and Grid – III

Industrial Policy – IV

External Economic Policy – V

Digital und Innovation Policy – VI

SME Policy - VII

The ministry is headquartered in Berlin.

Agencies

In addition to its own operations, the Ministry also oversees the following agencies:

Federal Cartel Office

Federal Network Agency

Federal Office of Economics and Export Control

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing

Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources

German National Metrology Institute

Ministers

Political Party:   CDU   CSU   SPD   FDP   No party

Ministry for Economy (1949–1998)

Parliamentary State Secretaries

1967–1970: Klaus Dieter Arndt, SPD

1970–1971: Philip Rosenthal, SPD

1972: Rainer Offergeld, SPD

1972–1987: Martin Grüner, FDP/DVP

1983–1987: Rudolf Sprung, CDU

1987–1989: Ludolf-Georg von Wartenberg, CDU

1987–1993: Erich Riedl, CSU

1989–1992: Klaus Beckmann, FDP

1992–1998: Heinrich Leonhard Kolb, FDP

1993–1994: Reinhard Göhner, CDU

1994–1997: Norbert Lammert, CDU

State Secretaries

1949–1951: Eduard Schalfejew

1951–1963: Ludger Westrick, no party

1958–1963: Alfred Müller-Armack, CDU

1963–1966: Wolfram Langer

1963–1968: Fritz Neef

1967–1972: Johann Baptist Schöllhorn

1968–1969: Klaus von Dohnanyi, SPD

1969–1978: Detlev Karsten Rohwedder, SPD

1972: Ernst Wolf Mommsen

1973–1991: Otto Schlecht

1979–1995: Dieter von Würzen

1991–1994: Johann Eekhoff

1994–1997: Johannes Ludewig

1995–1998: Lorenz Schomerus

1997–1998: Rudi Geil, CDU

1997–1998: Klaus Bünger

Ministry for Economics and Technology (1998–2002)

Parliamentary State Secretaries

1998–2002: Siegmar Mosdorf, SPD

State Secretaries

1998–2002: Alfred Tacke, SPD

1999–2002: Axel Gerlach

Ministry for Economics and Labour (2002–2005)

Parliamentary State Secretaries

2002–2005: Gerd Andres, SPD

2002–2005: Rezzo Schlauch, Greens

2002–2005: Ditmar Staffelt, SPD

State Secretaries

1999–2003: Axel Gerlach

2002–2004: Alfred Tacke, SPD

2002–2005: Rudolf Anzinger

2002–2005: Georg-Wilhelm Adamowitsch

2004–2005: Bernd Pfaffenbach

Ministry of Economics and Technology (2005–2013)

Parliamentary State Secretaries

2005–2013: Peter Hintze, CDU

2005–2009: Dagmar Wöhrl, CSU

2005–2009: Hartmut Schauerte, CDU

2009–2013: Ernst Burgbacher, FDP

2009–2013: Hans-Joachim Otto, FDP

State Secretaries

2005–2006: Georg-Wilhelm Adamowitsch

2005–2008: Joachim Wuermeling, CSU

2006–2009: Walther Otremba

2005–2011: Bernd Pfaffenbach

2008–2012: Jochen Homann

2009–2013: Bernhard Heitzer, FDP

2011–2013: Stefan Kapferer, FDP

2012–2013: Anne Herkes

Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (since 2013)

Parliamentary State Secretaries

2013–2017: Brigitte Zypries, SPD

since 2013: Uwe Beckmeyer, SPD

since 2013: Iris Gleicke, SPD

since 2017: Dirk Wiese, SPD

State Secretaries

since 2013: Rainer Baake, Greens

since 2014: Matthias Machnig, SPD

since 2013: Dr. Rainer Sontowski, SPD