Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany

A Federal Minister for Special Affairs (Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a member of the German government without portfolio.

Ministers for Special Affairs are fully-fledged members of the cabinet, but are not assigned their own ministry. The reasons why a chancellor appoints one or more such ministers to his cabinet can vary and are entirely up to him. In the early days of the Federal Republic, the title was awarded frequently and for very different reasons. For example, Robert Tillmanns, one of the first two Ministers for Special Affairs, represented the federal government in the Council of Elders of the Bundestag. Other responsibilities delegated to different Ministers for Special Affairs included the middle class, water management, the Federal Defense Council or the affairs of the Vice Chancellor of Germany. Since the 1960s, it has become customary for the head of the Chancellery to be integrated into the Cabinet in this way, even if this is still not obligatory (the head of the Chancellery can also be appointed at the lower rank of State Secretary, which was last done by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the case of Frank-Walter Steinmeier [1999-2005]).

After the German reunification in 1990, the title was used to integrate some members of the final East German government into the cabinet, in order to provide a representation of the New states of Germany in the federal government.

There is currently one Minister for Special Affairs, Thorsten Frei (since 6 May 2025), who is also Head of the Chancellery.

List of Federal Ministers for Special Affairs

Political Party: Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2

Portrait		Name Template:Small	Responsibilities	Term of Office			Political Party
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 1		Franz Josef Strauß Template:Small	N/A	6 October 1953	12 October 1955	Template:Ayd	Christian Social Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 2		Robert Tillmanns Template:Small	represented cabinet in the Council of Elders of the German Bundestag	20 October 1953	12 November 1955 (died in office)	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 3		Waldemar Kraft Template:Small	responsible for water management	20 October 1953	12 October 1955	Template:Ayd	All-German Bloc/ League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights
style="background:Template:Party color;" ; color:white;" | 4		Hermann Schäfer Template:Small	responsible for small and medium-sized businesses	20 October 1953	16 October 1956	Template:Ayd	Free Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 5		Heinrich Krone Template:Small	Federal Defense Council questions	14 November 1961	30 November 1966	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 6		Ludger Westrick Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	16 June 1964	30 November 1966	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 7		Horst Ehmke Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	22 October 1969	15 December 1972	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"color:white;" | 8		Werner Maihofer Template:Small	Minister for Vice-Chancellor's Affairs	15 December 1972	16 May 1974	Template:Ayd	Free Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 9		Egon Bahr Template:Small	Federal Minister in the Federal Chancellery	15 December 1972	16 May 1974	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 10		Wolfgang Schäuble Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	15 November 1984	21 April 1989	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 11		Rudolf Seiters Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	21 April 1989	26 November 1991	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 12		Hans Klein Template:Small	government spokesman and head of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government	26 November 1989	20 December 1990	Template:Ayd	Christian Social Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 13		Lothar de Maizière Template:Small	after German reunification	3 October 1990	19 December 1990	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 14		Sabine Bergmann-Pohl Template:Small		3 October 1990	17 January 1991	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 15		Günther Krause Template:Small		3 October 1990	17 January 1991	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color;"color:white;" | 16		Rainer Ortleb Template:Small		3 October 1990	17 January 1991	Template:Ayd	Free Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 17		Hansjoachim Walther Template:Small		3 October 1990	17 January 1991	Template:Ayd	German Social Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 18		Friedrich Bohl Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	26 November 1991	27 October 1998	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 19		Bodo Hombach Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	27 October 1998	7 July 1999	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 20	File:Thomas de Maiziere Dresden (crop).jpg	Thomas de Maizière Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	22 November 2005	27 October 2009	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 21	File:Ronald Pofalla 2007.jpg	Ronald Pofalla Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	28 October 2009	17 December 2013	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 22	File:Peter Altmaier Portrait.png	Peter Altmaier Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	17 December 2013	14 March 2018	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 23	File:Helge Braun Porträt 2017.jpg	Helge Braun Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	14 March 2018	8 December 2021	Template:Ayd	Christian Democratic Union
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 24	File:Wolfgang Schmidt in Berlin on 7 June 2024 (cropped).jpg	Wolfgang Schmidt Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	8 December 2021	6 May 2025	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" | 25	File:Frei, Thorsten-9052.jpg	Thorsten Frei Template:Small	Head of the Federal Chancellery	6 May 2025	Incumbent	Template:Ayd	CDU