Friedrich Merz introduces his ministers: These are the new cabinet members of the CDU/CSU

Neue Zürcher Zeitung Friedrich Merz introduces his ministers: These are the new cabinet members of the CDU/CSU Simone Lo Bartolo • 1 hour • 2 minutes reading time The CDU's cabinet list for the future German federal government has been finalized. Several appointments had already been expected in advance – now they have been officially confirmed by the CDU in Berlin. Johann Wadephul is to take over the Foreign Office. The experienced foreign policy expert was early considered a favorite for the position and is expected to lead German diplomacy in turbulent times. Merz has nominated former local politician Katherina Reiche for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. She previously served as head of the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) and has chaired a subsidiary of the German energy company E.On since 2020. For the Ministry of Health, the CDU is relying on Nina Warken, who most recently served as CDU Secretary General. The Ministry of Education and Family Affairs is to go to Karin Prien, who gained extensive experience in the education sector as Minister of Culture in Schleswig-Holstein. Thorsten Frei will play a key role: The 51-year-old interior politician from Baden-Württemberg will move into the government's control center as the future chancellor's right-hand man. The newly created Ministry for Digitalization and State Modernization will be headed by manager Karsten Wildberger – he has been CEO of a listed retail group since 2021. Merz is relying on Patrick Schnieder for the Ministry of Transport. The experienced CDU politician from Rhineland-Palatinate has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. Christiane Schenderlein, a former member of the Bundestag, will become the new Minister of State for Sport. Schenderlein previously served as the CDU/CSU spokesperson for cultural and media policy. Wolfram Weimer, publicist and former editor-in-chief of the political magazine "Cicero," will take over as Minister of Culture and Media. Michael Meister, a long-time CDU finance expert, will coordinate federal-state cooperation in the future. He previously served as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Serap Güler will become Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office. The Bundestag member from North Rhine-Westphalia previously served as State Secretary for Integration in the state ministry. Gunther Krichbaum, a long-time CDU European politician, will also assume a key role at the Foreign Office. CSU minister also announced According to consistent media reports, the CSU has also nominated its ministerial candidates. Alexander Dobrindt, previously head of the CSU Bundestag parliamentary group, is to become Minister of the Interior. Dobrindt had been considered a foregone conclusion for this position for some time. Dorothee Bär is to take over the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. She served as Minister of State for Digital Affairs in the Merkel government from 2018 to 2021. The new Minister of Agriculture is likely to be CSU Bundestag member Alois Rainer. He is the brother of former CSU federal minister Gerda Hasselfeldt. According to information from "Spiegel" and the AFP news agency, Friedrich Merz is set to hand over the leadership of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group to Jens Spahn. Merz announced to the CDU federal executive committee that he would propose Spahn, along with CSU leader Markus Söder, as his successor. The cabinet is officially scheduled to be sworn in on May 6 – assuming the upcoming SPD membership vote on the coalition agreement is positive. The SPD will present its own ministers on Wednesday.