Gitta Connemann

Gitta Connemann (born 10 May 1964) is a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Early life and career

Born to a Dutch mother and a German father, Connemann grew up on a farm. From 1984 until 1990, she studied law at the University of Osnabrück and the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. She worked at a law firm in Darmstadt from 1993 to 1995. She later practiced as an independent lawyer with her own firm, Rickes Connemann, in Leer.

Political career

Connemann has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since the 2002 elections, succeeding Rudolf Seiters. Between 2005 and 2013, she served on the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs, where she was her parliamentary group’s rapporteur on labor law. She was also a member of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Media (2005-2009). From 2014 until 2015, she chaired the Committee on Food and Agriculture. In 2015, she was appointed deputy chairperson of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, under the leadership of chairman Volker Kauder.

In addition to her committee assignments, Connemann has been serving as deputy chairwoman of the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group since 2005.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, Connemann was part of the working group on municipalities and rural areas, led by Reiner Haseloff, Kurt Gribl and Michael Groschek.

Political positions

Under the umbrella of the godparenthood program of human rights organization IGMF for political prisoners, Connemann has been raising awareness for the activities of Cuban political dissident Marta Beatriz Roque since 2014.

Connemann was one of only five CDU parliamentarians who voted against the government’s draft law on introducing a national minimum wage for the first time in Germany’s history in July 2014. In June 2017, she again voted against her parliamentary group’s majority and in favor of Germany’s introduction of same-sex marriage.

Other activities

• International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim/Auschwitz, Member of the Board of Trustees
• American Jewish Committee, Lawrence & Lee Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations, Member of the Advisory Board
• Initiative Deutsche Sprache, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees (2007-2008)
• Association of German Musical Societies (BVMV), Vice-President (2002-2005)
• Kreiskrankenhaus Leer, Deputy Member of the Supervisory Board (2002-2005)

Personal life

Connemann married fellow CDU politician Gerd Dählmann in Holtland in August 2015. The ceremony's guests included David McAllister and Julia Klöckner.