Thomas de Maizière
| Thomas de Maizière | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 17 December 2013 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Hans-Peter Friedrich |
| In office 28 October 2009 – 3 March 2011 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Wolfgang Schäuble |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Peter Friedrich |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 3 March 2011 – 17 December 2013 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg |
| Succeeded by | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Minister for Special Affairs | |
| In office 22 November 2005 – 27 October 2009 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Ronald Pofalla |
| Chief of the Chancellery | |
| In office 22 November 2005 – 27 October 2009 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Succeeded by | Ronald Pofalla |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 January 1954 Bonn, Germany |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
| Spouse(s) | Martina de Maizière |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Münster University of Freiburg |
| Religion | Lutheranism[1] |
Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière (German pronunciation: [də mɛˈzi̯ɛːɐ̯]; born 21 January 1954) is a German politician (CDU) who has served as the Federal Minister of the Interior since 17 December 2013 as part of the third cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel. A close confidant of Merkel, he served as chief of staff at the Chancellor's Office and Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the First Merkel cabinet, from 2005 to 2009. He was Minister of the Interior from 2009 to 2011 and Minister of Defence from 2011 to 2013.
Along with Wolfgang Schäuble and Ursula von der Leyen, De Maizière is one of only three ministers with Merkel since she became chancellor in 2005.[2] Together with von der Leyen, he has in the past been mentioned as a possible future successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel.[3]
Before his appointment to the federal cabinet, he served as a cabinet minister of the state of Saxony, including as chief of staff, minister of finance and minister of justice.
Background and education
Maiziere was born in Bonn to the later Inspector general of the Bundeswehr, Ulrich de Maizière. He graduated at the Aloisiuskolleg in Bonn and studied law and history at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster and the University of Freiburg, he passed his first state examination in law in 1979 and his second 1982, earning his doctorate of law (Dr. jur.) in 1986.[4]
He belongs to a noble family originally from Maizières-lès-Metz who, as Huguenots, had fled France for asylum in Prussia in the late 17th century.[5] The Maizière family still attended French-language schools and Huguenot churches in Berlin until the beginning of the 20th century. His cousin Lothar de Maizière is also a CDU politician and was the last, and only democratically elected, Premier of the German Democratic Republic, who later served as Federal Minister of Special Affairs in the Kohl government.[6]
Political career
Early career in state politics
Maizière worked for the governing mayor (prime minister) of Berlin (Baron Richard von Weizsäcker and Eberhard Diepgen),[7] before he was part of the West German delegation to negotiations on German reunification. After 1990 he worked with re-establishing democratic structures in states that were part of the former German Democratic Republic. He became secretary of state at the ministry of culture of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in November 1990. From December 1994 to 1998 he was the chief of staff of the Chancellery of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
He served as the chief of the Saxon Chancellery from 1999 to 2001, with the rank as a cabinet minister. As chief of staff to Kurt Biedenkopf, he helped negotiate the special Solidarity Pact designed to finance the reconstruction of Eastern Germany.[8] From 2001 to 2002 he served as the minister of finance of Saxony, from 2002 to 2004 minister of justice, and from 2004 to 2005 minister of interior.[9]
Chief of Staff at the Federal Chancellery, 2005-09
On 17 October 2005, he was nominated for membership of the Federal Government as chief of the Chancellor's office and federal minister of special affairs in the First Merkel cabinet.[10] He took office on 22 November 2005 after Merkel's election by the Bundestag. In his capacity as chief of staff of the chancellery, he also functioned as deputy president of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
Federal Minister of the Interior, 2009-11
In the negotiations to form a coalition government following the 2009 federal elections, De Maizière led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on taxes, national budget and financial policy; his co-chair from the FDP was Hermann Otto Solms. Following the formation of the second Merkel cabinet, he took office as Federal Minister of the Interior.
As Interior Minister, De Maizière long played down security worries but abruptly changed course in late 2010 with warnings there were "serious indications" of terror attacks being prepared in Europe and the United States.[11] In July 2010, he outlawed the Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation (IHH), a charity registered in Frankfurt, because of its alleged links to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, arguing that "[t]he IHH has, under the cover of humanitarian aid, supported Gaza Strip-based so-called social associations which are attributable to Hamas, for a long period of time and to a considerable financial extent."[12]
In October 2010, De Maizière and Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer banned arrivals of all air cargo from Yemen after German authorities were tipped off by a foreign intelligence service that explosives were inside a U.S.-bound parcel trans-shipped at Cologne Bonn Airport.[13]
Federal Minister of Defence, 2011-13
On 2 March 2011, Merkel announced that Maizière would be the successor of federal minister of defence zu Guttenberg, who had resigned from office the previous day.[14] On 3 March, he was appointed to this post.[15] He held the defence ministry portfolio until 17 December 2013.
Signaling one of the biggest shake-ups in decades for the German military, De Maizière in 2011 unveiled plans to reduce troop numbers, cut bureaucracy and eliminate duplication inside the Federal Ministry of Defence. Under the proposals, the army was to be turned into a solely professional force.[16]
On June 7, 2011, De Maizière attended the state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama in honor of Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.[17]
Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in February 2012, De Maizière said that an Israel Defense Forces strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is "highly unlikely" to succeed, and noted that such a strike would cause "obvious political damage."[18] During a meeting in Berlin in March 2012, he warned Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak against an attack on Iran, joining other Western countries who were applying heavy international pressure on Israel to prevent it from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.[19][20]
In 2012, De Maizière told a gathering of army reservists that he considered the U.S. strategy of using drones for targeted killings a “strategic mistake”. According to the online news edition of the German public television broadcaster ARD, De Maizière said he thought it was unwise to have U.S. commanders direct such attacks from their base in the United States.[21]
Federal Minister of the Interior, 2014-
In the negotiations to form a government following the 2013 federal elections, De Maizière led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on foreign affairs, defense and development cooperation; his co-chair from the SPD was Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
On 17 December 2013, Maizière was appointed Federal Minister of the Interior for a second time.[22]
On 23 February 2014 Bild am Sonntag reported De Maizière, among others in the government and in business, were under NSA surveillance. The newspaper report, quoting an unnamed NSA official, said the U.S. was particularly interested in the interior minister, "because he is a close aide of Merkel, who seeks his advice on many issues and was rumored to be promoting his candidacy for the post of NATO secretary-general."[23][24]
In late 2014, De Maizière proposed a law according to which the government can retract identity cards of potential foreign fighters and replace them with substitute identification; this was meant to allow government agencies to keep Germans from leaving to join groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[25]
Other activities
- German Evangelical Church Assembly, Member of the Presidium
- German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Member of the Board of Trustees
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Moritzburg Festival, Member of the Board of Trustees
- National Paralympic Committee Germany, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Safety in Ski Sport Foundation (SIS), Member of the Board of Trustees
Recognition
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2006)
- Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (2007)
- Grand Cross of the Ordem do Mérito (2009)
Personal life
Maizière is married to Martina de Maizière, with whom he has three children.
References
- ↑ "Dr. Thomas de Maizière, CDU/CSU" (in German). Deutscher Bundestag. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ↑ Arne Delfs (22 January 2014), Merkel Succession Beckons After von der Leyen’s Defense Posting Businessweek.
- ↑ Arne Delfs (July 17, 2014), Merkel at 60 Says No Rest on Laurels as Power Uncontested Bloomberg.
- ↑ "Thomas de Maizière (CDU)". Federal Government. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (March 2, 2011), Merkel Is Quick to Fill Open Cabinet Position International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (March 2, 2011), Merkel Is Quick to Fill Open Cabinet Position International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (October 18, 2005), Merkel shares history with aide International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (October 18, 2005), Merkel shares history with aide International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (March 2, 2011), Merkel Is Quick to Fill Open Cabinet Position International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (March 2, 2011), Merkel Is Quick to Fill Open Cabinet Position International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Erik Kirschbaum and Eric Kelsey (March 2, 2011), German ministers in cabinet reshuffle Reuters.
- ↑ Germany outlaws charity over alleged Hamas links Haaretz, July 12, 2010.
- ↑ Germany tipped off Britain about mail bomb, minister says Haaretz, October 31, 2010.
- ↑ Pidd, Helen (2 March 2011). "Angela Merkel appoints her closest adviser as defence minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "Neue Minister ernannt" [New ministers appointed]. Cabinet of Germany (in German). 3 March 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (May 18, 2011), Germany Plans Deep Cuts to Its Armed Forces International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Expected Attendees at Tonight's State Dinner Office of the First Lady of the United States, press release of June 7, 2011.
- ↑ Germany: Israeli military strike on Iran unlikely to succeed Haaretz, February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Ofer Aderet (March 27, 2012), Germany official: Meeting with Israel's Barak left me 'more concerned' of war with Iran Haaretz.
- ↑ Barak Ravid (March 31, 2012), Australia joins list of countries warning against Israeli strike on Iran Haaretz.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (June 11, 2012), Europe Stays Quiet Despite Unease About Drones International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ "Minister". Federal Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ↑ "U.S. now bugging German ministers in place of Merkel: report". Reuters. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ↑ "Merkel's aides now on NSA radar, claims Dutch news report". Germany News.Net. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ↑ Rainer Buergin and Arne Delfs (October 17, 2014), Germany Clamps Down on Flow of Fighters to Islamic State Bloomberg News.
Publications
- "Das Netz - Raum der Chancen und der Freiheit" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2014-08-17. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
- "Wie Deutschland zusammenwachsen kann" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
- "Den Teufelskreis durchbrechen" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas de Maizière. |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
Chief of the Chancellery 2005–2009 |
Succeeded by Ronald Pofalla |
| Vacant Title last held by Bodo Hombach |
Minister for Special Affairs 2005–2009 | |
| Preceded by Wolfgang Schäuble |
Minister of the Interior 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by Hans-Peter Friedrich |
| Preceded by Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg |
Minister of Defence 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by Hans-Peter Friedrich |
Minister of the Interior 2013–present |
Incumbent |
| ||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
| ||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
|