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Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany

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Member of the German government without portfolio
Germany
Federal Minister for Special Affairs
German: Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben
Incumbent
Wolfgang Schmidt
since 8 December 2021
German Chancellery
Formation6 October 1953
First holderFranz Josef Strauß

A Federal Minister for Special Affairs (German: Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsmiˌnɪstɐ fyːɐ̯ bəˈzɔndəʁə ˈʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbm̩] ) is a member of the German government without portfolio.

Early Minister for Special Affairs were assigned different tasks by the Chancellor. For example, Robert Tillmanns, one of the first two Ministers for Special Affairs, represented the federal government in the Council of Elders of the Bundestag. Other responsibilities delegated to different Ministers for Special Affairs included the middle class, water management, the Federal Defense Council or the affairs of the Vice-Chancellor of Germany.

Since 1964, this use of the title fell out of favour. Instead, the title is often given to the Chief of staff of the Chancellery to provide him with a vote in cabinet meetings. The last Chief of staff of the Chancellery not to concurrently hold the title of minister special affairs was Frank-Walter Steinmeier (1999–2005), who instead retained the lower Secretary of State rank; however regardless of ministerial rank, the title "Kanzleramtsminister" (Minister of the Chancellery) is frequently used to refer to the job. Historically, appointees to the ministry who weren't heads of the chancellery at the same time have often been important political aides or politicians waiting for a portfolio or representatives of certain parties, groups or regions.

For instance, after German reunification in 1990, some members of the final East German government, former Association of Free Democrats (the affiliated group of the FDP, the then-junior coalition partner) Volkskammer leader Rainer Ortleb and President of the Volkskammer Sabine Bergmann-Pohl were appointed as Federal Ministers for Special Affairs, in order to provide a representation of the New states of Germany in the federal government.

List of Federal Ministers for Special Affairs

Political Party:   CSU   CDU   SPD   FDP   GB/BHE

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of Office Political Party
Took office Left office Time in office
Franz Josef Strauß
(1915–1988) 		6 October 1953 12 October 1955 2 years, 6 days Christian Social Union
Robert Tillmanns
(1896–1955) 		20 October 1953 12 November 1955
(died in office) 		2 years, 23 days Christian Democratic Union
Waldemar Kraft
(1898–1977) 		20 October 1953 12 October 1955 2 years, 23 days All-German Bloc/
League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights
Hermann Schäfer
(1892–1966) 		20 October 1953 16 October 1956 2 years, 362 days Free Democratic Party
Heinrich Krone
(1895–1989) 		14 November 1961 30 November 1966 5 years, 16 days Christian Democratic Union
Ludger Westrick
(1894–1990) 		16 June 1964 30 November 1966 2 years, 167 days Christian Democratic Union
Horst Ehmke
(1927–2017) 		22 October 1969 15 December 1972 3 years, 54 days Social Democratic Party
Werner Maihofer
(1918–2009) 		15 December 1972 16 May 1974 1 year, 152 days Free Democratic Party
Egon Bahr
(1922–2015) 		15 December 1972 16 May 1974 1 year, 152 days Social Democratic Party
Wolfgang Schäuble
(1942-2023) 		15 November 1984 21 April 1989 4 years, 157 days Christian Democratic Union
Rudolf Seiters
(born 1937) 		21 April 1989 26 November 1991 2 years, 219 days Christian Democratic Union
Hans Klein
(1931–1996) 		26 November 1989 20 December 1990 1 year, 24 days Christian Social Union
Lothar de Maizière
(born 1940) 		3 October 1990 19 December 1990 77 days Christian Democratic Union
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
(born 1946) 		3 October 1990 17 January 1991 106 days Christian Democratic Union
Günther Krause
(born 1953) 		3 October 1990 17 January 1991 106 days Christian Democratic Union
Rainer Ortleb
(born 1944) 		3 October 1990 17 January 1991 106 days Free Democratic Party
Hansjoachim Walther
(1939–2005) 		3 October 1990 17 January 1991 106 days German Social Union
Friedrich Bohl
(born 1945) 		26 November 1991 27 October 1998 7 years, 283 days Christian Democratic Union
Bodo Hombach
(born 1952) 		27 October 1998 7 July 1999 253 days Social Democratic Party
Thomas de Maizière
(born 1954) 		22 November 2005 27 October 2009 3 years, 339 days Christian Democratic Union
Ronald Pofalla
(born 1959) 		28 October 2009 17 December 2013 4 years, 50 days Christian Democratic Union
Peter Altmaier
(born 1958) 		17 December 2013 14 March 2018 4 years, 87 days Christian Democratic Union
Helge Braun
(born 1972) 		14 March 2018 8 December 2021 3 years, 269 days Christian Democratic Union
Wolfgang Schmidt
(born 1970) 		8 December 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 13 days Social Democratic Party
Foreign Ministers of Germany
 German Empire (1871–1918)
 Weimar Republic (1918–33)
 Nazi Germany (1933–45)
 German Democratic Republic (1949–90)
 Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
East Germany
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