| Agency Name: | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action |
| Nativename: | Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) |
| Headquarters: | Berlin/Bonn |
| Formed: | 23 October 1917 as the Reichswirtschaftsamt |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Germany |
| Employees: | 2,187 |
| Budget: | €10.434 billion (2021)[1] |
| Minister1 Name: | Robert Habeck |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action |
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (German: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, pronounced as /de/), abbreviated BMWK (was BMWi), is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was previously known as the "Ministry of Economy". It was recreated in 2005 as "Ministry of Economics and Technology" after it had previously been merged with other ministries to form the Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour between 2002 and 2005. The ministry is advised by the Council of Advisors on Digital Economy.
The historical predecessor of the current Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action was the Reichswirtschaftsamt (Reich Economic Office), founded in 1917. In 1919, this became the Reichswirtschaftsministerium (Reich Ministry of Economy), which existed until 1945.
In postwar occupied Germany, its functions were exercised by the Administrative Office of Economy (German: Verwaltungsamt für Wirtschaft) between 1946 and 1949. After the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Ministry of Economics (German: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft) existed from 1949 to 1998. From May 1971 to December 1972, it was temporarily merged with the Federal Ministry of Finance, in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Finance. In 1998 the technology section of the Ministry of Research was added, making it the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.
Between 2002 and 2005, it was merged with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and one part of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs - the other part being merged with the old Federal Ministry for Health, then the Ministry of Health and Social Security. This transformations aimed to consolidate the policy-fields of economics and labour market, on which the second term of chancellor Gerhard Schröder wanted to focus, into one hand. Because the new Ministry was very large and important, it was often referred to as a super-ministry (Superministerium) and its minister as a super-minister (Superminister). The creation of the new Ministry was widely seen as failed, basically because of the poor performance of the only office-holder Wolfgang Clement.
Under the following grand coalition headed by Angela Merkel, the portfolio reshuffle was reversed, and the old Federal Ministries of Economics and Technology, of Labour and Social Affairs and of Health were created once again as Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. It was renamed to Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in 2013.
The Ministry is organised into 10 departments and one central department.[3]
The ministry is headquartered in Berlin.
In addition to its own operations, the Ministry also oversees the following agencies:[4]
See main article: List of German economics ministers.
Political Party:
| Name (Born–died) | Portrait | Party | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Minister for Economics | ||||||
| 1 | Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977) | CDU | 20 September 1949 | 16 October 1963 | Adenauer (I • II • III • IV • V) | |
| 2 | Kurt Schmücker (1919–1996) | CDU | 17 October 1963 | 30 November 1966 | Erhard (I • II) | |
| 3 | Karl Schiller (1911–1994) | SPD | 1 December 1966 | 7 July 1972 | Kiesinger Brandt (I) | |
| 4 | Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015) | SPD | 7 July 1972 | 15 December 1972 | Brandt (I) | |
| 5 | Hans Friderichs (born 1931) | FDP | 15 December 1972 | 7 October 1977 | Brandt (II) Schmidt (I • II) | |
| 6 | Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1926–2009) | FDP | 7 October 1977 | 17 September 1982 | Schmidt (II • III) | |
| 7 | Manfred Lahnstein (born 1937) | SPD | 17 September 1982 | 1 October 1982 | Schmidt (III) | |
| 8 | Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1926–2009) | 75px | FDP | 4 October 1982 | 27 June 1984 | Kohl (I • II) |
| 9 | Martin Bangemann (1934–2022) | FDP | 27 June 1984 | 9 December 1988 | Kohl (II • III) | |
| 10 | Helmut Haussmann (born 1943) | FDP | 9 December 1988 | 18 January 1991 | Kohl (III) | |
| 11 | Jürgen Möllemann (1945–2003) | FDP | 18 January 1991 | 21 January 1993 | Kohl (IV) | |
| 12 | Günter Rexrodt (1941–2004) | FDP | 21 January 1993 | 26 October 1998 | Kohl (IV • V) | |
| Federal Minister for Economics and Technology | ||||||
| 13 | Werner Müller (1946–2019) | IND (for the SPD) | 27 October 1998 | 22 October 2002 | Schröder (I) | |
| Federal Minister for Economics and Labour | ||||||
| 14 | Wolfgang Clement (1940–2020) | SPD | 22 October 2002 | 22 November 2005 | Schröder (II) | |
| Federal Minister for Economics and Technology | ||||||
| 15 | Michael Glos (born 1944) | CSU | 22 November 2005 | 10 February 2009 | Merkel (I) | |
| 16 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971) | CSU | 10 February 2009 | 28 October 2009 | ||
| 17 | Rainer Brüderle (born 1945) | FDP | 28 October 2009 | 12 May 2011 | Merkel (II) | |
| 18 | Philipp Rösler (born 1973) | FDP | 12 May 2011 | 17 December 2013 | ||
| Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy | ||||||
| 19 | Sigmar Gabriel (born 1958) | SPD | 17 December 2013 | 27 January 2017 | Merkel (III) | |
| 20 | Brigitte Zypries (born 1953) | SPD | 27 January 2017 | 14 March 2018 | Merkel (III) | |
| 21 | Peter Altmaier (born 1958) | CDU | 14 March 2018 | 8 December 2021 | Merkel (IV) | |
| Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action | ||||||
| 22 | Robert Habeck (born 1969) | Grünen | 8 December 2021 | Incumbent | Scholz (Scholz) | |