The German Finance Ministry is undergoing a significant restructuring under the leadership of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), including the establishment of a dedicated staff unit focused on foreign policy. This shift, revealed through internal emails and a forthcoming organizational chart reported by Handelsblatt, marks a notable change in the ministry’s operations.
A newly created “Coordination Staff for International Policy (KS)” will assume responsibilities related to international policy coordination previously handled through the position of Vice-Chancellor. The staff’s mandate includes crafting regular “situation reports” for the ministry’s leadership and consolidating responsibilities pertaining to security policy, economic security, crisis resilience and selected European coordination matters.
The move reflects a desire to ensure foreign policy considerations are not solely managed by the coalition partner holding the Foreign Minister portfolio – a situation unique within the current government structure. Christian Aulbach, previously deputy to Jens Plötner, the chief foreign policy advisor to former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has been appointed to lead the new unit.
Furthermore, Klingbeil, like his predecessor Scholz, will operate with a Vice-Chancellor’s office, comprising three sub-departments. Laura Krause, previously leading the NGO “More in Common” has joined the ministry to spearhead the “Modern Germany” sub-department, developing concepts to strengthen trust in democratic processes. Contrary to initial concerns, the restructuring isn’t generating a net increase in personnel. Instead, roles have been transferred from the Economics Ministry, where the Vice-Chancellor’s office was previously located during the prior coalition government.