Cabinet of Germany
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The Bundesregierung is sometimes called the Bundeskabinett or Federal Cabinet is the government of the Federal Republic of Germany it and consists of the Chancellor and the Federal Ministers.
The job of the cabinet is listed in the articles 62 to 69 of the constitution. This also has the oath of office that the minister must take.
The Chancellor is responsible for the administrative work of the Federal Government, but the work is delegated (passed on) to the Head of the Federal Chancellery.
The Chancellor sets the general policy of the Federal Government, and what each ministry should do. The Federal Ministers are responsible for what happens in their own departments, and for making sure that the ministry keeps to the general ideas of the Chancellor. This is known as the departmental principle ({{lang-de|Ressortprinzip}).
If two Federal Ministers disagree about what should be done or about who is to do it or how it is to be done, the Federal Government decides with majority decision . The is called the cooperative principle (German: Kollegialprinzip).
The Federal Minister law (German: Bundesministergesetz) says that a retired member of the Federal Government can have a retirement pension, if they have been a minister for at least two years. Time as a junior minister (US "Undersecretary") who in Germany are called parliamentary permanent secretaries is counted, and so is previous membership of a Land government.
Parliamentary permanent secretaries and state ministers are not members of the Federal Government but do help them in their job.
As a rule, the Federal Cabinet meets in the Federal Chancellery every Wednesday at 9.30 hours.
[change] Current make-up of the Federal Government
Only members of CDU/CSU and SPD are in the current Federal Government . Eleven of the 16 members of the Federal Government are members of the Bundestag.
| Department | Officeholder | Party | Member of the German Bundestag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Chancellor | Dr Angela Merkel | CDU | Yes |
| Foreign Office and Deputy Federal Chancellor | Frank-Walter Steinmeier | SPD | No |
| Interior | Wolfgang Schäuble | CDU | Yes |
| Justice | Brigitte Zypries | SPD | Yes |
| Finance | Peer Steinbrück | SPD | No |
| Economy and Technology | Michael Glos | CSU | Yes |
| Work and Social Affairs | Olaf Scholz | SPD | Yes |
| Food, Farming and Consumer Protection | Horst Seehofer | CSU | Yes |
| Defence | Franz Josef Jung | CDU | Yes |
| Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth | Ursula von der Leyen | CDU | No |
| Health | Ulla Schmidt | SPD | Yes |
| Traffic, Building and Urban Development | Wolfgang Tiefensee | SPD | No |
| Environment, Conservation and Nuclear Reactor Safety | Sigmar Gabriel | SPD | Yes |
| Education and Research | Annette Schavan | CDU | Yes |
| Federal Minister without Portfolio and Head of the Federal Chancellery | Thomas de Maizière | CDU | No |
| Economic Cooperation and Development | Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul | SPD | Yes |
[change] Seniority in the Federal Government
§ 22 of the Standing Orders of the Federal Government controls the seniority in meetings of the Federal Government. If the Chancellor is absent, the Deputy Chancellor is the chairman of the Federal Government. If the deputy is also absent, the longest serving or the oldest minster chairs the meeting.
These rules mean that the order of seniority is in this table
| Representation order in the German Federal Government | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Party | Term Start |
Date of birth | Department |
| 0 | Angela Merkel | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | July 17th, 1954 | Federal Chancellor |
| 1 | Frank-Walter Steinmeier | SPD | November 22nd, 2005 November 21st, 2007 |
January 5th, 1956 | Foreign as Deputy Chancellor |
| 2 | Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul | SPD | October 27th, 1998 | November 21st, 1942 | Economic Cooperation and Development |
| 3 | Ulla Schmidt | SPD | January 12th, 2001 | June 13th, 1949 | Health |
| 4 | Brigitte Zypries | SPD | October 22nd, 2002 | November 16th, 1953 | Justice |
| 5 | Wolfgang Schäuble | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | September 18th, 1942 | Interior |
| 6 | Michael Glos | CSU | November 22nd, 2005 | December 14th, 1944 | Economy and Technology |
| 7 | Peer Steinbrück | SPD | November 22nd, 2005 | January 10th, 1947 | Finance |
| 8 | Franz Josef Jung | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | March 5th, 1949 | Defence |
| 9 | Horst Seehofer | CSU | November 22nd, 2005 | July 4th, 1949 | Diet, Farming and Consumer Protection |
| 10 | Thomas de Maizière | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | January 21st, 1954 | special tasks (chancellery.) |
| 11 | Wolfgang Tiefensee | SPD | November 22nd, 2005 | January 4th, 1955 | Traffic, Building and Urban Development |
| 12 | Annette Schavan | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | June 10th, 1955 | Education and Research |
| 13 | Ursula von der Leyen | CDU | November 22nd, 2005 | October 8th, 1958 | Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth |
| 14 | Sigmar Gabriel | SPD | November 22nd, 2005 | September 12th, 1959 | Environment, Conservation and Reactor Safety |
| 15 | Olaf Scholz | SPD | November 21st, 2007 | June 14th, 1958 | Work and Social Affairs |
[change] Lawyers in the Federal Government
This table lists the number and percentage of members of the federal government who were lawyers. In Germany the time between elections is called a "legislative period". In the United Kingdom this would be called a Parliament or in the United States a Congress
| Legislative Period | Fully Qualified Lawyers | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | |
| 1. (1949 – 1953) | 6 of 14 | 42,9 % |
| 2. (1953 – 1957) | 5 of 20 | 25,0 % |
| 3. (1957 – 1961) | 7 of 18 | 38,9 % |
| 4. (1961 – 1965) | 8 von 21 | 38,1 % |
| 7 of 22 | 31,8 % | |
| 5. (1965 – 1969) | 7 of 22 | 31,8 % |
| 6 of 20 | 30,0 % | |
| 6. (1969 – 1972) | 4 of 16 | 25 % |
| 7. (1972 – 1976) | 8 of 18 | 44,4 % |
| 4 of 16 | 25 % | |
| 8. (1976 – 1980) | 4 of 16 | 25 % |
| 9. (1980 – 1983) | 8 of 17 | 47,1 % |
| 8 of 17 | 47,1 % | |
| 10. (1983 – 1987) | 8 of 17 | 47,1 % |
| 11. (1987 – 1990) | 9 von 19 | 47,4 % |
| 12. (1990 – 1994) | 6 of 20 | 33,3 % |
| 13. (1994 – 1998) | 9 of 18 | 50,0 % |
| 14. (1998 – 2002) | 3 of 16 | 18,8 % |
| 15. (2002 – 2005) | 6 of 14 | 42,9 % |
