Norbert Walter-Borjans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Norbert Walter-Borjans
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Walter-Borjans in 2022
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| Leader of the Social Democratic Party |
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| In office 6 December 2019 – 11 December 2021 Serving with Saskia Esken
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| General Secretary | Lars Klingbeil |
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Malu Dreyer (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Lars Klingbeil |
| Minister of Finance of North Rhine-Westphalia |
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| In office 14 July 2010 – 27 June 2017 |
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| Minister-President | |
| Preceded by | Helmut Linssen |
| Succeeded by | Lutz Lienenkämper |
| Member of the Bundesrat for North Rhine-Westphalia |
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| In office 15 July 2010 – 27 June 2017 |
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| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 September 1952 Krefeld-Uerdingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1983–) |
| Residence | Cologne-Sülz |
| Alma mater | University of Bonn University of Cologne |
| Occupation |
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Norbert Walter-Borjans (born 17 September 1952) is a German economist and politician. He is also known by his nickname NoWaBo. He was a co-leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 2019 to 2021, working alongside Saskia Esken. Before that, he served as the Minister of Finance for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 to 2017.
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Early Life and Education
Norbert Walter-Borjans was born in 1952 in Krefeld, a city in West Germany. His father was a carpenter. He studied economics at the University of Bonn and later earned a PhD.
Political Career Highlights
Starting in Government
From 1991 to 1998, Walter-Borjans worked as a spokesperson for the government of North Rhine-Westphalia. At that time, Johannes Rau was the Minister-President, which is like a state governor.
Minister of Finance Role
From 2010 to 2017, Walter-Borjans was the Minister of Finance for North Rhine-Westphalia. He was part of the government led by Minister-President Hannelore Kraft. In this role, he helped manage the state's money. He also represented North Rhine-Westphalia in the Bundesrat, which is like a council where German states discuss laws.
During his time as Finance Minister, he worked on important financial matters. For example, he helped deal with the financial issues of a bank called WestLB. He also took steps to find people who were trying to avoid paying their taxes. He did this by buying information about hidden bank accounts.
National Politics and Party Leadership
In 2013, after the German federal elections, Walter-Borjans was part of a group that helped form a "Grand Coalition." This was a big agreement between Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the SPD. He worked on financial plans and the national budget.
In 2019, Norbert Walter-Borjans decided to run for the leadership of the SPD party. He ran together with Saskia Esken. They received support from many parts of the party, including the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia and the party's youth organization. In November 2019, Esken and Walter-Borjans won the election and became co-leaders of the SPD. He served in this role until 2021.
In 2022, his party chose him to be a delegate for the Federal Convention. This group meets to elect the President of Germany.
Other Activities and Boards
Norbert Walter-Borjans has also been involved in other important organizations. From 2012 to 2017, he was a member of the supervisory boards for several companies, including NRW.BANK and RAG AG. He also served on the Board of Supervisory Directors for KfW, a large German development bank.
He was also a member of the Broadcasting Council for Deutschlandradio from 2012 to 2017. He is also a founding member of Verkehrsclub Deutschland, an organization focused on sustainable transportation.
See also
In Spanish: Norbert Walter-Borjans para niños
