Jens Spahn facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Jens Spahn MdB
Spahn in 2025

Leader of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2025
First Deputy	Alexander Hoffmann
Chief Whip	Steffen Bilger
Preceded by	Friedrich Merz
Minister of Health
In office 14 March 2018 – 8 December 2021
Chancellor	Angela Merkel
Preceded by	Hermann Gröhe
Succeeded by	Karl Lauterbach
Deputy Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
In office 16 January 2021 – 20 January 2022 Serving with Silvia Breher, Volker Bouffier, Julia Klöckner and Thomas Strobl
Leader	Armin Laschet
Preceded by	Armin Laschet
Succeeded by	Carsten Linnemann
Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance
In office 3 July 2015 – 14 March 2018
Chancellor	Angela Merkel
Minister	Wolfgang Schäuble Peter Altmaier (acting)
Preceded by	Steffen Kampeter
Succeeded by	Christine Lambrecht
Member of the Bundestag for Steinfurt I – Borken I
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 October 2002
Preceded by	Constituency established

Personal details
Born	Jens Georg Spahn (1980-05-16) 16 May 1980 (age 45) Ahaus, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party	CDU (since 1997)
Spouse	Daniel Funke (m. 2017)
Alma mater	University of Hagen (BA, MA)
Occupation	Politician Bank teller Lobbyist

Jens Georg Spahn (born 16 May 1980) is a German politician. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. Since 2002, he has been a member of the Bundestag, which is Germany's main parliament.

Since May 2025, Jens Spahn has been the leader of the combined CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag. This makes him a very important figure in German politics. Before this, he was the Federal Minister of Health from 2018 to 2021. This period included the time when the COVID-19 pandemic was happening.

When he was first elected to parliament in 2002, Spahn was only 22 years old. This made him the youngest CDU member in the German parliament at that time. He has also worked on important changes to Germany's pension system.

Early Life and Education
Political Journey
Political Views
Other Activities
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Jens Spahn was born on 16 May 1980 in Ahaus, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He grew up in a village called Ottenstein with his two younger brothers and sisters.

He finished school in 1999. In 2001, he completed training to become a bank teller. He worked in this job until 2002. In 2003, Spahn started studying political science at the University of Hagen. He earned his first university degree (a bachelor's degree) in 2008. Later, he completed a master's degree in the same subject in 2017.

Political Journey

Joining Political Parties

Jens Spahn started his political journey at a young age. In 1995, when he was 15, he joined the Junge Union Deutschlands (JU). This is the youth organization of the CDU. Two years later, in 1997, he became a member of the main CDU party.

He led the JU group in his local area, Borken, from 1999 to 2006. In 2005, he also became the leader of the CDU party in the Borken district. In 2014, he was elected to the CDU's main council, which is an important leadership group within the party.

Member of Parliament

Jens Spahn has been a member of the Ahaus City Council since 1999. He first became a member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, in the elections of 2002. He has been re-elected several times for his local area, called Steinfurt I – Borken I.

From 2005, Spahn worked as the vice-chair of the CDU/CSU group that focused on health policy. He also led the CDU–CSU group in the parliament's Health Committee. He helped create the health reform law in 2007. Since 2009, he has been the main spokesperson for the CDU–CSU group on health policy.

Spahn was also part of a group of young members of parliament from different parties. They worked to make sure that future generations would be treated fairly in Germany's laws.

Working in the Finance Ministry

From 2015 to 2018, Jens Spahn worked as a high-level assistant in the Federal Ministry of Finance. He worked under the minister Wolfgang Schäuble. In this role, he helped manage Germany's yearly national budget. He also represented Germany in discussions about the yearly budget for the European Union.

Leading the Health Ministry

In March 2018, Jens Spahn became the Federal Minister of Health. He took over from Hermann Gröhe. As Health Minister, he led meetings for health ministers from center-right parties in Europe. When Germany was in charge of the European Union Council in 2020, he led the meetings for health ministers.

Global Health Efforts

In 2019, Spahn visited four countries in Africa. He went to see how people were fighting diseases like Ebola. In 2020, he was invited by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to attend the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. This was to thank him for helping French citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also joined President Macron on a visit to South Africa in May 2021.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jens Spahn was a key figure in Germany's response. His ministry worked to get medical supplies and manage the health crisis.

Deputy Leader of CDU/CSU Group

From December 2021 to May 2025, Spahn was one of the deputy leaders of his parliamentary group. He worked under leaders Ralph Brinkhaus and Friedrich Merz. In this role, he helped guide the group's work on economic matters and climate protection laws.

He also helped in talks to form a new government in North Rhine-Westphalia after the 2022 state elections. He led his party's team for discussions on the economy, energy, and climate protection.

Political Views

Human Rights

Jens Spahn believes in economic freedom. He is also openly gay and a Roman Catholic. He has supported lower taxes and less government rules. He also supported allowing same-sex couples to marry. In 2012, he and other CDU/CSU members asked for equal tax rules for couples in civil unions. He also pushed for same-sex marriage to be allowed.

As Health Minister, he introduced a law in 2019 to stop "conversion therapy" for people under 18. This therapy tries to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The law also made it illegal to force or trick anyone older into such treatment. Breaking this law could lead to prison time or large fines.

During the time when many people were seeking safety in Germany, Spahn said that his party might have focused too much on just helping people. In August 2024, he supported stopping people from seeking safety at Germany's borders.

Pension Policy

In 2008, Spahn disagreed with plans to increase pensions. He said it would cost too much money. This caused some disagreement, especially with groups representing older people. However, he received support from former German President Roman Herzog.

After the 2013 elections, Spahn criticized a deal between the CDU/CSU and another party. He felt it gave too many benefits to people who wanted to retire earlier. In 2018, Spahn suggested that people who do not have children should pay more towards care and pension insurance.

Health Policy

During his time as Health Minister, the German government made measles vaccinations required for children. They also made it mandatory for staff in kindergartens and schools.

Foreign Policy

In 2021, Spahn said that Germany should not rely too much on China for trade. He suggested that Germany should make more trade deals with other countries and regions, like Canada.

Other Activities

Jens Spahn has also been involved with several other organizations:

He was on the supervisory board of Sparkasse Westmünsterland, a bank, from 2009 to 2015.
He was a member of the supervisory board for Mosaiques Diagnostics und Therapeutics AG from 2010 to 2012.
He was on the advisory board for Barmenia Insurances from 2005 to 2008.
He is a member of the Europe Policy Group at the World Economic Forum (since 2017).
He is a member of the board of trustees for the Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung.
He is on the advisory board for Jugend gegen AIDS (Youth against AIDS).
He is a member of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS).
He is a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board for FernUniversität Hagen.
He is a member of the board of trustees for the Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation.
He is a member of the board of trustees for the Federal Cultural Foundation.
He is a member of Atlantik-Brücke.
He is a member of the Catholic Workers Movement (KAB).
He has been the chairman of the board for the Humanitarian Aid Foundation for Persons infected with HIV through blood products (HIV Foundation) since 2018.
He was a member of the board of trustees for the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) from 2015 to 2018.

Personal Life

Jens Spahn describes himself as a Roman Catholic. He lives in Berlin with his husband, Daniel Funke. Daniel Funke is a German journalist and works in lobbying. They were married in a civil ceremony in December 2017 at Borbeck Palace in Essen. Spahn is also an honorary member of the football club FC Bayern Munich.