Wolfgang Schmidt

Wolfgang Schmidt (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʃmɪt]; born (1970-09-23)23 September 1970) is a German politician and jurist who has been serving as Federal Minister for Special Affairs, Head of the Chancellery and Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services since 2021. He was previously State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance under Minister Olaf Scholz in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021.

Schmidt has been a close associate of Scholz since 2002 and is considered his spin doctor.

Early life and education

Schmidt was born 23 September 1970, in Hamburg. He studied law at the University of Hamburg as well as the University of Deusto in Bilbao/Spain from 1991, graduating with his first state examination by 1997. Thereafter, he worked as Research associate at the University of Hamburg until 2000. Schmidt then served a two-year legal clerkship term at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court until 2002, when he completed his second state examination.

Career

From 2002 until 2005, Schmidt worked as advisor and later as chief of staff to Olaf Scholz in his capacity as the SPD’s secretary general. He followed Scholz as chief of staff when the latter was appointed as whip of the SPD parliamentary group.

In the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Schmidt again served as Scholz’s chief of staff at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

From 2010 to 2011, Schmidt served as director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) representative office in Germany.

Political career

Schmidt joined the youth organization of the Social Democratic Party, called the Jusos, in 1989 due to his interest in the third world.

On 6 December 2021, Schmidt was nominated as Federal Minister for Special Affairs and Head of the Chancellery in Scholz's cabinet, and was inaugurated by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 8 December.

Since taking office, Schmidt has been described in news medias as "Olaf Scholz’s shadow foreign minister." Early in his tenure, he became a key architect of the policies outlines in Scholz’s Zeitenwende speech. In February 2023, he appeared in parliament for the first time, explaining and defending the government’s policies in a 90-minute question-and-answer session.

In October 2023, Schmidt participated in the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired by Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron.

Other activities

International organizations

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2018–2021)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group, Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2018–2021)
• World Bank, Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2018–2021)

Corporate boards

• KfW, ex-officio Member of the Board of Supervisory Directors (2018–2021)
• German Investment Corporation (DEG), ex-officio Member of the Supervisory Board (2018–2021)

Non-profit organizations

• Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2021)
• Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Advisory Board on Economic Policy (since 2020)
• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Member of the Council (since 2018)
• Institute for European Politics (IEP), Member of the Board of Trustees

Personal life

Schmidt has two daughters. He lives in Berlin.