Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety

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Jurisdiction
  
Government of Germany

Annual budget
  
€8,256 million (2009)

Employees
  
814

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety

Formed
  
6 June 1986 (30 years ago) (1986-06-06)

Headquarters
  
Robert-Schuman-Platz 3, 53175 Bonn, Germany

Minister responsible
  
Barbara Hendricks, Federal Environmental Minister

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, (German: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit), abbreviated BMUB, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn with a branch office in Berlin. The current minister of the environment is Barbara Hendricks, who assumed office on 17 December 2013.

Contents

The ministry was established on 6 June 1986 in response to the Chernobyl disaster. The then Federal Government wanted to combine environmental authority under a new minister in order to face new environmental challenges more effectively. Prior to this responsibilities for environmental issues were distributed among the ministries of the Interior, Agriculture and Health.

Functions

The ministry's primary functions include:

  • Fundamental national environmental policy
  • Informing and educating the public about environmental issues
  • Environmental remediation and development in Eastern Germany
  • Climate protection and energy
  • Air quality control
  • Noise abatement
  • Conservation of groundwater, rivers, lakes and seas
  • Soil conservation and remediation of contaminated sites
  • Waste management and recycling policy
  • Chemicals safety, environment and health
  • Precautions against emergencies in industrial plants
  • Protection, maintenance and sustainable utilization of biodiversity
  • Safety of nuclear facilities
  • Nuclear supply and disposal
  • Radiological protection

    • Organization

    The ministry is led by the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. The current Minister is Barbara Hendricks, appointed by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The minister is supported by two parliamentary state secretaries (members of the cabinet and federal government, "deputy ministers") and two career state secretaries (public servants) who manage the ministry's nine directorates:

  • "Z" directorate (Abteilung Z) is the central office responsible for internal affairs
  • "G" directorate (Abteilung G) is the central office responsible for policy and collaboration
  • "KI" directorate (Abteilung KI): climate, renewable energy and international cooperation
  • "RS" directorate (Abteilung RS): radiation protection, nuclear safety, nuclear supply and radioactive waste
  • "WR" directorate (Abteilung WR): water management, waste management, soil conservation and contamination
  • "IG" directorate (Abteilung IG): air pollution, health impacts, environment and traffic, hazardous locations and materials
  • "N" directorate (Abteilung N): conservation und species richness, genetic engineering, environmental impacts of agriculture and forestry
  • "SW" directorate (Abteilung SW): urban development
  • "B" directorate (Abteilung B): building

    • Federal Environment and Building Ministers

    Political Party:   CDU   Green   SPD

    References

    Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA