Ulla Schmidt
Ulla Schmidt | |
---|---|
Vice President of the Bundestag (on proposal of the SPD group) | |
In office 22 October 2013 – 24 October 2017 | |
Preceded by | none (second VP post for the SPD-group was created after the 2013 election) |
Succeeded by | none (the SPD group was not allowed to propose a second VP after the 2017 election) |
Federal Minister of Health | |
In office 22 November 2005 – 27 October 2009 | |
Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
Preceded by | Herself (Health and Social Security) |
Succeeded by | Philipp Rösler |
In office 12 January 2001 – 22 October 2002 | |
Chancellor | Gerhard Schröder |
Preceded by | Andrea Fischer |
Succeeded by | Herself (Health and Social Security) |
Federal Minister of Health and Social Security | |
In office 22 October 2002 – 22 November 2005 | |
Chancellor | Gerhard Schröder |
Preceded by | Walter Riester (Social Affairs) Herself (Health) |
Succeeded by | Franz Müntefering (Social Affairs) Herself (Health) |
Member of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia | |
Assumed office 27 September 2009 | |
Constituency | SPD List |
In office 2 December 1990 – 27 September 1998 | |
Constituency | SPD List |
Member of the Bundestag for Aachen I | |
In office 27 September 1998 – 27 September 2009 | |
Preceded by | Armin Laschet |
Succeeded by | Rudolf Henke |
Personal details | |
Born | Aachen, West Germany | 13 June 1949
Political party | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
Alma mater | Teaching College of Aachen |
Profession | Teacher for Primary and General Schools |
Website | ulla-schmidt.de |
Ursula "Ulla" Schmidt (born 13 June 1949) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). From 2001 to 2009 she was Federal Minister of Health in the German Government. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as Vice-President of the German Bundestag.
Early life and education
Schmidt studied at
Political career
Early beginnings
In 1976 Schmidt was a candidate of the Maoist "Kommunistischer Bund Westdeutschland" (KBW) (Communist League of West Germany) for the Federal Assembly of Germany (Bundestag) in Aachen. The KBW dissolved completely in 1985.
In 1983, Schmidt changed to the Social Democratic Party (SPD). There she is a member of the local (Aachen) leadership and of the "Seeheimer Kreis". She was elected to the German Bundestag in the first elections in reunified Germany on 2 December 1990, representing the Aachen I constituency.[2]
Member of the Federal Government
As deputy leader of the Social Democratic parliamentary group between 1998 and 2001,[3] Schmidt first gained respect in Parliament for her strong defense of pension reforms proposed by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder government in 2000.[4]
After the resignation of incumbent
During her tenure as Germany’s long-serving minister of health, Schmidt oversaw major system reforms, balancing social solidarity with fiscal responsibility.[6] In September 2003, Schmidt worked to tighten the regulations allowing welfare benefits to German expatriates. Under the new rules, the only people to receive benefits are Germans who are receiving long-term medical treatment outside the country or who are in foreign jails.[7]
In November 2005, Schmidt again became
In July 2009, the Social Democrats’ candidate to challenge incumbent Chancellor
Member of the German Bundestag
From February 2010, Schmidt was a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and deputy chairwoman of the German delegation to that assembly. She also served as a member of the Subcommittee on Cultural and Education Policy Abroad of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and as a member of the Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs.[10]
In 2010, Schmidt became chairwoman of Lebenshilfe, the association for people with mental disability, their families, experts and friends.[11]
In her capacity as Vice President of the German Parliament, Schmidt also was a member of the parliament’s
Schmidt announced, that she will not be reelected in 2021 German federal election.[12]
Other activities
Corporate boards
- K & S Unternehmensgruppe, Member of the Advisory Board
- Philips Germany, Member of the Supervisory Board
- Siegfried Holding, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2016)[13]
- Charité, Member of the Supervisory Board (–2020)[14][15]
Non-profits
- 1014 – space for ideas, Member of the Board of Directors[16]
- Aktion Mensch, Member of the Supervisory Board[17]
- Atlantik-Brücke, Member
- German Commission for UNESCO, Member
- German Federal Film Board (FFA), Alternate Member of the Supervisory Board (–2014)
- German Red Cross, Member
- Goethe-Institut, Delegate to the General Meeting
- Haus der Geschichte, Member of the Board of Trustees (2009–2013)
- IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IG BCE), Member
- Tarabya Academy, Member of the Advisory Board
- Terre des Femmes, Member
- UNITE – Parliamentary Network to End HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Other Infectious Diseases, Member (since 2017)[18]
Controversies
Amid discussions on whether
In 2009, Schmidt criticized statements made by Pope
References
- ^ Ulla Schmidt, Vice-President of the Bundestag Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Deutscher Bundestag.
- ^ Ulla Schmidt, Vice-President of the Bundestag Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Deutscher Bundestag.
- ^ Ulla Schmidt, Vice-President of the Bundestag Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Deutscher Bundestag.
- New York Times.
- New York Times.
- ^ Tsung-Mei Cheng and Uwe E. Reinhardt, Shepherding Major Health System Reforms: A Conversation With German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt Health Affairs, May 2008.
- New York Times.
- New York Times.
- ^ Germany: Setback For Official In Stolen-Car Case Financial Times, 30 July 2009.
- ^ Ulla Schmidt, Vice-President of the Bundestag Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Deutscher Bundestag.
- ^ Ulla Schmidt, Vice-President of the Bundestag Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Deutscher Bundestag.
- ^ Mike Szymanski (17 November 2020). "SPD: Wer folgt auf Thomas Oppermann als Bundestagsvizepräsident?". Sueddeutsche.de (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Siegfried: Ulla Schmidt and Martin Schmid recommended for nomination to the Board of Directors Siegfried Holding, press release of 9 March 2016.
- ^ Supervisory Board Charité.
- ^ Hannes Heine (23 February 2020), Berliner Senat entscheidet über Charité: Mehr Forschungsexpertise im Aufsichtsrat Der Tagesspiegel.
- ^ Board of Directors 1014 – space for ideas.
- ^ Supervisory Board Aktion Mensch.
- ^ Members – Western & Central Europe
- New York Times.
- ^ Empörte Reaktionen auf Papst-Äußerung
External links
- Official Site of Ulla Schmidt
- Kommunistischer Bund Westdeutschland (German Wikipedia)