Jens Spahn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jens Spahn
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Spahn in 2020
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| Minister of Health | |
| In office 14 March 2018 – 8 December 2021 |
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| 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
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Assumed office 17 October 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jens Georg Spahn
16 May 1980 Ahaus, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
| Spouse |
Daniel Funke
(m. 2017) |
| Alma mater | University of Hagen |
| Occupation |
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Jens Georg Spahn, born on May 16, 1980, is a German politician. He was the Federal Minister of Health from 2018 to 2021. This was during the time Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany. 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 parliament.
When he was first elected in 2002, Jens Spahn was only 22 years old. This made him the youngest member of his party in the German parliament. He has been a member of the Bundestag for many years. He also worked on important changes to Germany's pension system. As Minister of Health, he played a big role during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.
In 2018, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided not to run again for the CDU party leader position. Jens Spahn tried to become the new leader. However, he did not get enough votes in the first round. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer won the position instead. Later, when she resigned, Spahn chose not to run again. Instead, he supported Armin Laschet. Laschet became the CDU party leader in 2021.
Early Life and Education
Jens Spahn was born on May 16, 1980, in Ahaus, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He grew up in a village called Ottenstein with his two younger siblings. In 1999, he finished school at the Episcopal Canisius school in Ahaus.
After school, he trained to be a banker. He finished his training in 2001 and worked as a bank clerk until 2002. In 2003, Spahn started studying political science and law at the University of Hagen. He earned his first degree in 2008 and a master's degree in 2017.
Political Journey
Joining the Party
Jens Spahn became involved in politics 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 party. He then joined the CDU party itself in 1997.
From 1999 to 2006, he was the head of the JU in the Borken district. In 2005, he also became the head of the CDU in the Borken district. This district had about 6,500 members.
In 2014, Spahn was chosen to be part of the CDU's main ruling council. This was seen as a sign of younger politicians gaining influence in the party.
Serving in Parliament
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 2002 elections. He has won his election in the Steinfurt I – Borken I area many times since then.
From 2005 onwards, Spahn worked on health policy. He was the vice-chair of the CDU/CSU group that focused on health. He also led the CDU–CSU group in the Committee of Health. He helped create the health reform in 2007. Since 2009, he has been the main spokesperson for health policy for his party group.
Spahn was also a substitute member of the Budget Committee. He was part of a group of young members of parliament. This group wanted to make sure that future generations were treated fairly in Germany's laws.
From 2005 to 2013, Spahn was the deputy head of the German–Dutch Parliamentary Friendship Group. Since 2014, he has been its head.
Working in the Finance Ministry
In 2015, Jens Spahn became a Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. He worked under Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. In this role, he helped manage Germany's yearly budget. He also represented Germany in talks about the budget of the European Union.
Leading the Health Ministry
In March 2018, Jens Spahn was appointed Federal Minister of Health. He took over from Hermann Gröhe. As Minister of Health, he also led meetings for health ministers from center-right parties in Europe. When Germany was in charge of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2020, he led important health meetings.
Global Health Efforts
In 2019, Spahn visited four countries in Africa. He went there to see the fight against the Ebola virus. 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 in France. In 2021, he also joined President Macron on a visit to South Africa.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jens Spahn was the Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. He often spoke about how to prevent the spread of the virus. He advised people to avoid parties and large social gatherings.
Deputy Chair of CDU/CSU Group
Since December 2021, Spahn has been one of the deputy leaders of his party's group in parliament. He works under the current leader, Friedrich Merz. In this role, he helps guide the group's work on economic matters and climate protection.
He also helped in talks to form a new government in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022. He led his party's team for economic affairs, energy, and climate protection.
Political Views
Human Rights
Jens Spahn supports lower taxes and less government rules for businesses. He is also openly gay and a Roman Catholic. He has supported same-sex marriage in Germany. In 2012, he and other politicians called for equal tax treatment for couples in civil unions. In 2019, as health minister, he introduced a law to ban "conversion therapy" for people under 18. This therapy tries to change a person's sexual orientation. The law also made it illegal to force or trick anyone older into such treatment.
During the European migrant crisis, Spahn said that his party might have focused too much on helping refugees.
Pension Policy
In 2008, Spahn disagreed with plans to increase pensions. He thought it would cost too much money. He received some criticism for this view, but also support from others.
After the 2013 elections, Spahn criticized a deal that would lower the retirement age for some workers. He felt it gave too many benefits to the other party. In 2018, he suggested that people without children should pay more towards care and pension insurance.
Health Policy
As part of government talks, Spahn helped change how the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) works. This institute checks the quality of healthcare.
During his time as health minister, the German government made measles vaccinations required for children. It also made them mandatory for staff in kindergartens and schools.
Foreign Policy
In 2021, Spahn said that Germany should rely less on China for trade. He wanted Germany to make more trade deals with other countries like Canada.
Other Activities
Jens Spahn has also been involved with several other organizations:
Corporate Boards
- Sparkasse Westmünsterland (a bank), member of the supervisory board (2009–2015)
- Mosaiques Diagnostics und Therapeutics AG, member of the supervisory board (2010–2012)
- Signal Iduna Pensionskasse AG, member of the supervisory board (2005–2010)
- Barmenia Insurances, member of the advisory board (2005–2008)
Non-profit Organizations
- German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), member of the board of trustees (2018–2021)
- World Economic Forum (WEF), member of the Europe Policy Group (since 2017)
- Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung, member of the board of trustees
- Jugend gegen AIDS, member of the advisory board
- Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), member
- FernUniversität Hagen, member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board
- Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation, Member of the board of trustees
- Federal Cultural Foundation, member of the board of trustees
- Atlantik-Brücke, member
- Catholic Workers Movement (KAB), member
- Humanitarian Aid Foundation for Persons infected with HIV through blood products (HIV Foundation), chairman of the board (since 2018)
- German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), member of the board of trustees (2015–2018)
Personal Life
Jens Spahn is a Roman Catholic. He lives in Berlin with his husband, Daniel Funke. Daniel Funke is a German journalist. They were married in a civil ceremony in December 2017 in Essen. Jens Spahn is also an honorary member of the football club FC Bayern Munich.
