Party political offices

Leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Bundestag
In office 29 September 2009 – 16 December 2013
Chief Whip	Thomas Oppermann
Preceded by	Peter Struck
Succeeded by	Thomas Oppermann
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
Acting 7 September 2008 – 18 October 2008
Deputy	Andrea Nahles Peer Steinbrück Himself
Preceded by	Kurt Beck
Succeeded by	Franz Müntefering
Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 26 October 2007 – 13 November 2009
Leader	Kurt Beck Himself (acting) Franz Müntefering
Preceded by	Bärbel Dieckmann
Succeeded by	Olaf Scholz

Political civil servant

Head of the Chancellery
In office 31 July 1999 – 22 November 2005
Chancellor	Gerhard Schröder
Preceded by	Bodo Hombach
Succeeded by	Thomas de Maizière
State Secretary at the Chancellery Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services
In office 27 October 1998 – 22 November 2005
Chancellor	Gerhard Schröder
Preceded by	Bernd Schmidbauer (as Minister of State)
Succeeded by	Thomas de Maizière
Head of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony
In office 30 October 1996 – 27 October 1998
Minister-President	Gerhard Schröder
Preceded by	Willi Waike
Succeeded by	Peter-Jürgen Steiner

Parliamentary constituencies

Member of the Bundestag for Brandenburg an der Havel – Potsdam-Mittelmark I – Havelland III – Teltow-Fläming I
In office 27 October 2009 – 19 March 2017
Preceded by	Margrit Spielmann
Succeeded by	Angelika Krüger-Leißner

Personal details

Born

5 January 1956 (age 69)
Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany

Political party

Social Democratic

Spouses

Elke Büdenbender

(m. 1995)

Children

Alma mater

University of Giessen

Signature

Military service

Branch/service

Bundeswehr

Years of service

1974–1976

Unit

German Air Force

Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 5 January 1956) is a German politician. He has been the President of Germany since 2017. Before becoming president, he served as the federal minister for foreign affairs twice. He also held the position of vice chancellor of Germany.

Early Life and Education
- Starting His Career in Government
Political Career at the National Level
Becoming President of Germany (2017–Present)
- Second Term as President
Personal Life
Awards and Recognition
Honours
- National Honours
- Foreign Honours
Images for kids

Early Life and Education

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was born in 1956 in a town called Detmold, in West Germany. His full name is Frank-Walter, but his friends often call him Frank. His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a refugee from Silesia after World War II.

After finishing high school, called Abitur in Germany, Steinmeier served in the military from 1974 to 1976. Then, he studied law and political science at the University of Giessen. He earned his doctorate in law in 1991. His special research was about how the government can help prevent people from becoming homeless.

Starting His Career in Government

In 1991, Steinmeier began working as an adviser in the government of Lower Saxony. He helped with laws about communication and media. By 1993, he became the director for the prime minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder. In 1996, he was promoted to Secretary of State and head of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony.

Political Career at the National Level

Working with Chancellor Schröder (1998–2005)

In 1998, Frank-Walter Steinmeier moved to national politics. He became a Secretary of State in the office of the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder. He also worked as the person in charge of Germany's intelligence services. In 1999, he became the head of the German Chancellery, which is like the chief of staff for the Chancellor.

Steinmeier was a key adviser to Chancellor Schröder. He helped pass important economic reforms called "Agenda 2010." Because he worked effectively behind the scenes, people sometimes called him "the grey efficiency."

As the intelligence services commissioner, he helped coordinate Germany's spy agencies. In 2003, he supported Schröder's decision not to join the U.S.-led Iraq War. He also helped settle payments for victims of a terrorist bombing in Berlin in 1986.

There was a discussion about a German-born man named Murat Kurnaz, who was held in Guantánamo Bay. Steinmeier said he did not block Kurnaz's release. He stated that the government was worried Kurnaz might be a threat and should go to Turkey if released, not Germany.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2009

First Time as Foreign Minister (2005–2009)

In November 2005, after new elections, Steinmeier became the Foreign Minister in a government led by Angela Merkel. This was a big step, as he was the first Foreign Minister from his party, the SPD, since Willy Brandt in the 1960s.

He helped Germany prepare to lead the Council of the European Union in 2007. In 2007, he also became the Vice-Chancellor.

Steinmeier and Angela Merkel generally worked well together on foreign policy. They agreed on many issues, like dealing with Iran's nuclear program and fighting climate change. However, they sometimes had different ideas. For example, Steinmeier thought Germany should plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 2013, which many Germans wanted. He also supported Turkey joining the European Union, unlike Merkel.

He was known for being friendly towards Russia. He aimed for a policy similar to "Ostpolitik," which was a policy of improving relations with Eastern European countries started by Chancellor Willy Brandt.

In 2009, Steinmeier was the first minister from Merkel's government to meet with the new Obama administration in the United States. During his time as Foreign Minister, he helped free German hostages in Iraq and Yemen.

Leading the Opposition (2009–2013)

In 2008, Steinmeier was chosen to be the SPD's candidate for Chancellor in the 2009 elections. He also became the acting leader of the SPD party for a short time. In his election campaign, he suggested new tax rules for high executive pay and wanted to set minimum wages.

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaking at a dinner of the World Jewish Congress in Berlin, September 2014

After his party lost the elections, Steinmeier became the leader of the SPD's group in the Bundestag (German parliament). This made him the leader of the opposition. In 2010, he had to take a break from work to donate a kidney to his wife.

As opposition leader, Steinmeier often criticized Angela Merkel's government. He said they were increasing the national debt and favoring wealthy people. He also argued that appointing a specific person to lead the German central bank would harm its independence.

Second Time as Foreign Minister (2013–2017)

After the 2013 elections, Steinmeier became Foreign Minister again in December 2013. He started a big review of Germany's foreign policy, asking many people for their ideas.

Steinmeier with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in March 2015

Between 2014 and 2016, Steinmeier was often one of Germany's most popular politicians in public polls.

Steinmeier with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, February 2016

His Views on Key Issues

Working Together in Europe

Polish President Lech Kaczyński, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Steinmeier, and Anna Fotyga in Brussels, June 2007

Steinmeier with Vladimir Putin, March 2016

Yitzhak Herzog, President of the State of Israel, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, November 2023

Ministers and diplomats announcing an Iran nuclear deal framework in Lausanne in April 2015

Steinmeier has always been a strong supporter of European cooperation. He helped to change some rules about how European countries manage their money. This was during a time when Germany wanted to avoid financial problems.

During the European debt crisis, he pushed for more shared responsibility among European countries. He wanted to prevent the single European currency, the Euro, from breaking apart. He also supported financial help packages for countries like Greece.

When some political parties in Europe started to question the European Union, Steinmeier said that Germany wanted Britain to stay an important part of the EU. After Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016, he said the EU should focus on big issues like migration and youth unemployment.

He also worked to create new ways for countries to cooperate. For example, he met with foreign ministers from Nordic countries to discuss common concerns. He also worked with France to strengthen the "Weimar Triangle," a group for cooperation between Germany, France, and Poland.

Between 2014 and 2016, he visited the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) six times. This shows how important these countries were to him. He also worked with Britain to help Bosnia improve its relationship with the European Union.

Energy Policy Ideas

In 2007, Steinmeier disagreed with proposals from the European Commission. They wanted to separate the ownership of energy networks in the European Union. He believed this was not the best approach for energy policy.

Becoming President of Germany (2017–Present)

In June 2016, the previous German President, Joachim Gauck, announced he would not run for re-election. This led to a search for a new candidate. In November 2016, Germany's main political parties agreed to support Frank-Walter Steinmeier for president.

On 12 February 2017, a special assembly called the Federal Convention elected Steinmeier as President. He won on the very first vote.

Steinmeier officially became President of Germany on 19 March 2017. A few days later, on 22 March, he took the official oath in front of the German parliament.

Steinmeier with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv, May 2018

In October 2017, President Steinmeier visited Russia. He met with President Vladimir Putin and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. This was the first visit by a German President to Russia since 2010.

Second Term as President

Steinmeier with Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki, April 2022

On 13 February 2022, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected for a second term as president.

Personal Life

Frank-Walter Steinmeier is married to Elke Büdenbender. They have one daughter. In 2010, he donated a kidney to his wife.

He enjoys jazz music and is a big fan of football. Steinmeier is a Protestant Christian and is active in his church community in Berlin.

Awards and Recognition

Frank-Walter Steinmeier has received many awards and honorary titles for his work. These include:

An honorary doctorate from the Ural State Technical University in Russia (2010).
The Willy Brandt Prize (2013).
Being made an honorary citizen of Reims, France (2015).
Honorary doctorates from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel (2015) and the University of Piraeus in Greece (2015).
The Ignatz Bubis Award (2017).
The World Food Programme's Hunger Hero Award (2017).
The Leo Baeck Medal (2021).
The Henry A. Kissinger Prize (2022).

Honours

Steinmeier has received many national and international honours, showing his importance in global politics.

National Honours

Grand Master of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (since 2017)
Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2017)

Foreign Honours

He has received top honours from many countries, including:

Austria: Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash of the Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic (2016)
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (2023)
Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (2021)
France: Grand Officer of the National Order of Legion of Honour (2017)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2019)
Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (2021)
Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (2007)
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2018)
Spain: Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2022)
Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (2021)
United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (2023)

Images for kids

Steinmeier in 2024
Frank-Walter Steinmeier's signature

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

Frank-Walter Steinmeier Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier facts for kids

Contents