German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has largely completed the personnel restructuring of her department. According to the “Handelsblatt”, citing government sources, Thomas Steffen will be the new state secretary, with the official announcement to be made on Monday. Steffen, who comes from the Federal Ministry of Health, is already holding meetings at the department and will take over the affairs of Bernhard Kluttig. Kluttig, in a surprising move, will not be leaving the department and instead will head the newly created Abteilung “Wirtschaftsstabilisierung und Energiesicherheit”.
Additionally, Reiche is reviving the leadership department, with Yvonne Schreiber, a former chief of staff to Minister Peter Altmaier, set to lead it. Furthermore, the head of the Abteilung Außenwirtschaftspolitik is being replaced. Ralph Böhme, currently a senior official at the Chancellery, will take over the position, succeeding Christian Forwick, who will remain at the department.
It is also likely that Elga Bartsch, the current head of the Grundsatzabteilung, will be replaced, although the timing of this change has not been finalized. Reiche has reportedly replaced eight of the ten department heads, with only Beate Baron, head of Industriepolitik and Christina Decker, head of Digital- und Innovationspolitik, remaining. The future of the Digital- und Innovationspolitik department, which may be absorbed into the new Federal Digital Ministry and the Abteilung “Wirtschaftsstabilisierung und Energiesicherheit”, whose long-term existence is uncertain, is still to be determined.