Wolfgang Clement

Education and career

After attaining his abitur at the Graf-Engelbert-Schule in Bochum, Clement first completed a Volontariat (internship) at the Westfälische Rundschau newspaper in Dortmund. He then studied jurisprudence at the University of Münster, leaving in 1965 with a law degree after passing the First State Examination. This qualification also permitted him to teach. Clement was subsequently employed as an articled clerk and assistant at the Institute for Trial Law at the University of Marburg. In 1968, he returned to the Westfälische Rundschau, first as a political editor. He later became head of the political department, then deputy editor-in-chief. In 1986, Clement moved to the newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost in Hamburg, where he remained as editor-in-chief until 1989. On 12 November 2004, he was presented with an honorary doctorate (Dr. h. c.) by Ruhr University in Bochum.

Family

Wolfgang Clement is married and has five daughters. He lives in Bonn.

Party

Clement was a member of the SPD from 1970 until 2008. From 1981 to 1986 he was spokesman for the SPD federal executive board and was also a deputy federal party whip from 1985 to 1986.

From 1994 to 2001 he was on the SPD State Executive in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), from 1996 as deputy leader. Clement has been a member of the SPD federal executive board since 1997 and SPD deputy chairman since December 1999.

On 31 July 2008, Clement was shut out from the SPD by the Landesschiedskommission (i.e. State arbitration board) of NRW. Clement, not willing to accept this, went to the superior Bundesschiedskommission (Federal arbitration board) which subsequently cancelled the verdict on 24 November 2008. On 25 November, however, Clement himself announced his decision to leave the party.

Public office

In 1989 Clement was appointed head of the state chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia by Johannes Rau’s government. After the state election in 1990 he relinquished this office in favour of the post of Minister for special tasks, effective from 13 June 1990. After the 1995 state election Clement was made Minister of Economics and Small Business, Technology and Transport.

Member of State Parliament, 1993–2002

Clement was a member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1 October 1993 to 7 November 2002.

Minister-President, 1998–2002

After he had long been seen as the “crown prince” of Johannes Rau, Clement was finally elected as Rau’s successor as Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia on 27 May 1998.

In a government statement of 17 June 1998, Clement announced the amalgamation of the Justice and Interior ministries into one entity. There was serious doubt about whether this decision was compatible with the German Constitution, as it was seen by some as a violation of the division of powers. On 9 February 1999 the Constitutional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia ruled that the amalgamation violated the rights of the state parliament. In spite of this, Clement wanted to continue with the merger, at least until the 2000 state election, but had to bow to growing pressure from coalition partner Bündnis '90/Die Grünen (the Green party). The merger was cancelled and Clement himself took on the responsibilities of Justice Minister from 10 to 22 March 1999. From 23 March 1999 to the end of the legislative period on 27 June 2000 Jochen Dieckmann was Justice Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In the 2000 state election the SPD, under Clement’s leadership, received 42.8% of all votes cast, a drop of 3.2% from the previous election. However, the SPD was again able to form a coalition government with the Greens.

Even after this election there were fierce debates between Clement and in particular Bärbel Höhn, the Minister of the Environment (Bündnis '90/Die Grünen), who opposed the continuation of coal mining subsidies and the support of big industrial projects (e.g. Garzweiler II) that were promoted by Clement.

Since he started his term of office as state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia on 27 May 1998, four ministers have resigned or left their position early.

In Clement’s time in office as state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia four investigating committees were set up.

Federal Minister of Economics and Labour, 2002–2005

After the 2002 federal election Clement gave up his office of Premier on 21 October and was appointed federal Minister of Economics and Labour in the government led by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. With this he was taking over the newly created so-called “super ministry” that had been formed by the amalgamation of the Economic and Labour ministries.

The expectations created by the merger – that Clement could bring about an economic upturn and a decrease in unemployment thanks to the expanded powers available to him – are yet to be fulfilled (as of July 2005). Clement’s policy in this role has been marked by two areas of conflict. First, there have been numerous conflicts with Minister for the Environment Jürgen Trittin (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) on the issues of deposits on drink cans, the phasing out of nuclear energy and the trading in emissions certificates that had been agreed upon at the World Climate Conference in Kyoto. Second, in contrast to many other government members, Clement wanted to continue unwaveringly with the measures under Schröder’s “Agenda 2010” reforms package, rather than slowing down the roll-out. The reforms have come under much criticism since their unveiling in March 2003.

In view of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s frequent threats to resign, especially in 2003, Clement was seen by some to be Schröder’s only possible successor.

Following the 18 September 2005 federal election, Clement was, together with the other ministers in Schröder’s government, dismissed from office on 18 October 2005, the opening session of the sixteenth Bundestag. At the same time, Clement was appointed by President Horst Köhler in a caretaker role to continue his functions until the formation of a new government. After the election of Angela Merkel as Chancellor on 22 November 2005, Clement permanently left office.

Life after politics

After leaving politics, Clement has held various paid and unpaid positions. In 2006, he was appointed by the employers' and employees' organizations of Germany's construction sector to mediate in a dispute over salary increases. In 2017, Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe appointed Clement as Special Commissioner for Germany’s candidacy to become the new headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Corporate boards

Non-profits