Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposes Steffen Bilger as the new federal transport minister. Patrick Schnieder asked on Sunday to be dismissed to end an unworthy state of affairs.
Parliamentary secretary of the Union parliamentary group Steffen Bilger is set to replace Patrick Schnieder as federal transport minister. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Merz would propose Bilger for the post. Schnieder's dismissal and Bilger's appointment by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected on Wednesday.
Schnieder declared on Sunday on platform X that he would ask the chancellor to propose his dismissal to the president. He wanted to end the unworthy state that made substantive work impossible. Important decisions at Deutsche Bahn brooked no delay.
Merz had already informed Schnieder on Thursday about the planned change. After the initially intended successor Fritz Güntzler withdrew, criticism arose over the handling of Schnieder. Peter Altmaier wrote on X that the treatment made him concerned and angry.
Bilger served on the Bundestag transport committee from 2009 to 2018 and then as parliamentary state secretary in the transport ministry until 2021. Greenpeace called for a real new beginning in transport policy with more courage on electrification.
