Federal government fires 25 commissioners: But Ferda Ataman can stay

At its first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) federal government appointed a number of commissioners – and at the same time, as announced, eliminated positions. As deputy government spokesperson Sebastian Hille announced following the cabinet meeting in Berlin, 25 of the previous 43 federal commissioner positions will no longer exist. The goal of halving the number of positions promised in the coalition agreement will be "exceeded," he said.

Which positions were deleted has so far remained open

Among the newly appointed representatives on Wednesday is the nursing representative. According to the Ministry of Health, this will be Katrin Staffler ( CSU ), a trained biochemist and a member of the Bundestag since 2017. Virologist and CDU member of the Bundestag Hendrik Streeck was appointed the new representative for addiction and drug issues. Patient representative Stefan Schwartze, who represents the SPD in the Bundestag, will remain in office, according to the information.

SPD politician Lars Castellucci will be the new Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, as he himself announced. He told the Evangelical Press Service that he wants to contribute to recognizing human rights as a "great treasure" and announced that he intends to exercise his office in a less moralizing manner. "Moralizing does little to help human rights," he said. His goal is to "always combine a clear stance with respect."

Immediately after taking office, the federal government eliminated several positions, including those of Ambassador for Feminist Foreign Policy, Special Representative for International Climate Policy, and Special Representative for Migration Agreements. Which other positions were eliminated remained unclear on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the new Ministry for Digitalization and State Modernization, which will maintain the list in the future, said it would be published in the coming days.

Elisabeth Kaiser becomes new Commissioner for Eastern Europe

It is apparently clear that there will no longer be a Commissioner for Antigypsyism in the future. However, the issue will remain anchored in the ministry, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Family Affairs, to which the position belonged. A successor has been found for the queer commissioner Sven Lehmann. The position will in future be called Commissioner for Acceptance of Sexual and Gender Diversity and will be filled by Sophie Koch ( SPD ), who has been a member of the Dresden state parliament since 2024 and has campaigned on the issue in the state. After her appointment on Wednesday, Koch was criticized for social media posts in which she wrote, for example, "Antifascism is manual work," which was interpreted as a call for violence against political opponents.

Among the positions that will be retained is the Commissioner for Eastern Europe, now held by Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD). The Commissioner for Integration, the Commissioner for Culture and Media, and the Commissioner for Ethnic German Repatriates will also remain in office. A new position has been created for Minister of State for Sport and Volunteering in the Federal Chancellery.

The federal government cannot abolish certain commissioner positions because they have a legal basis, such as the office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, and the Independent Commissioner for Abuse. The controversial Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Ferda Ataman, will remain in office, according to information from Table.Briefings .