Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Cabinet of Germany
The Cabinet of Germany (German: Bundeskabinett, Bundesregierung) is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Chancellor and the cabinet ministers.
The details of the cabinet's organisation are set down in sections 62 to 69 of the Basic Law. Section 64 paragraph 2 of this law says that the Chancellor and the ministers have to be sworn in when taking office.
The Chancellor is responsible for guiding the cabinet; he decides what direction their policies will take and bears the responsibility. The cabinet ministers have the freedom to carry out their duties independently, but following the Chancellor's directive. This is known as the Ressortprinzip or principle of departmentalisation. The Chancellor decides the scope of each minister's duties.
If two ministers disagree on a particular point, the government decides what will happen by means of a majority decision. This is the Kollegialprinzip or principle of deference.
The Chancellor leads the government's administrative afairs. Details are laid down in the government's rules for internal procedure. This states, for example, that decisions can be made by the government if more than half of the cabinet members are present.
Present German Cabinet
The current federal cabinet (July 2004) consists of the following ministers.
| Portfolio | Minister | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chancellor of Germany | Gerhard Schröder | (1998-) | SPD |
| Deputy Chancellor of Germany | Joschka Fischer | (1998-) | Greens |
| Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture | Renate Künast | (2001-) | Greens |
| Minister of Defence | Peter Struck | (2002-) | SPD |
| Minister of Economics and Labour | Wolfgang Clement | (2002-) | SPD |
| Minister of Education and Research | Edelgard Bulmahn | (1998-) | SPD |
| Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development | Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul | (1998-) | SPD |
| Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety | Jürgen Trittin | (1998-) | Greens |
| Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth | Renate Schmidt | (2002-) | SPD |
| Minister of Finance | Hans Eichel | (1999-) | SPD |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Joschka Fischer | (1998-) | Greens |
| Minister for Health and Social Security | Ulla Schmidt | (2001-) | SPD |
| Minister of the Interior | Otto Schily | (1998-) | SPD |
| Minister of Justice | Brigitte Zypries | (2002-) | SPD |
| Minister of Transport, Building and Housing | Manfred Stolpe | (2002-) | SPD |
See also
- List of ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany - an alphabetical list of former ministers
External links
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