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Tanja Gönner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tanja Gönner
State Minister for the Environment of Baden-Württemberg
In office
2005–2011
Preceded byStefan Mappus
Succeeded byFranz Untersteller
Member of the Bundestag
In office
2002–2004
Succeeded byThomas Bareiß
Personal details
Born (1969-07-23) 23 July 1969 (age 55)
Sigmaringen, West Germany
(now Germany)
Political partyCDU
Alma materUniversity of Tübingen

Tanja Gönner (born 23 July 1969 in Sigmaringnen) is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as managing director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the leading lobby organization of German industry since November 2022.

As a CDU politician, she was a member of the German Bundestag from 2002 until her resignation on 13 July 2004, Minister of Social Affairs from 2004 to 2005 and Minister of the Environment from 2005 to 2011, as well as Minister of Transport for the state of Baden-Württemberg from 2010 to 2011. From 2012 to 2022, she was Spokesperson of the Board of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

Early life and education

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Gönner has an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. She is Catholic and single. Gönner grew up in Bingen near Sigmaringen, where she also attended primary school.[1] After graduating from the Liebfrauenschule Sigmaringen in 1989, Gönner initially trained as a legal clerk, which she completed with a diploma in 1992. In 1993, she studied law at the University of Tübingen,[2] which she completed in 1997 with the first state examination in law. After her legal clerkship and second state examination in 1999, she was admitted to the bar. After completing her studies, Gönner initially worked as an insolvency administrator.[3]

Political career

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Career in national politics

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Tanja Gönner joined the CDU in 1987. She initially became involved in the Junge Union, of which she was deputy national chairwoman from 1998 to 2002.[3] From 2002 to 2004 Gönner served as member of the Bundestag, representing the Zollernalb – Sigmaringen district.[4] From 2001 to 2013, she was Chairwoman of the Sigmaringen CDU district association and, from 2005, a member of the Baden-Württemberg CDU state executive. From 2006 to the end of 2007, Tanja Gönner was a member of the CDU Basic Programme Commission. In 2007, she became deputy chairwoman of the Commission for the Integrity of Creation. From 2000 to 2012, Gönner was part of the federal executive of the CDU, under leadership of the party’s chairwoman Angela Merkel.[5]

Career in state government

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In 2004, Gönner was appointed State Minister for Social Affairs in the government of Minister-President Erwin Teufel of Baden-Württemberg. In the subsequent governments of Ministers-President Günther Oettinger and Stefan Mappus, she served as State Minister of the Environment from 2005 to 2011. In this capacity, she notably defended the controversial Stuttgart 21 infrastructure project.[6]

In the negotiations to form a coalition government following the 2009 federal elections, Gönner was part of the working group on the environment, agriculture and consumer protection, led by Ilse Aigner and Michael Kauch.[7]

In 2011, news media reported that Gönner was the preferred candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel to succeed Matthias Kurth as president of the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Posts and Railway (BNetzA);[8] after negotiations, however, Jochen Homann was eventually appointed.

Life after politics

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From 2012 to 2022, Gönner served as chair of the board at GIZ.[9]

Since June 2022, Gönner has been serving as Managing Director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).[9]

Other activities

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Government bodies

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Corporate boards

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Non-profit organizations

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  • Energy and Climate Policy and Innovation Council (EPICO), Member of the Advisory Board (since 2021)[16]
  • World Vision Germany, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2020)[17][18]
  • Stiftung Liebenau, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2012)[19]
  • Agora Verkehrswende, Member of the Council[20]
  • Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG), Member of the Executive Board (since 2023)[21]
  • Bundesverband der Unternehmervereinigungen (BUV), Member of the Advisory Board[22]
  • Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, Member of the Presidium[23]
  • Quadriga Hochschule Berlin, Member of the Advisory Board on Politics and Public Affairs[24]
  • Tönissteiner Group, Member of the Board of Trustees[25]
  • WLSB-Sportstiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees[26]
  • Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), Member of the Board of Directors[27]
  • Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS), Member of the Advisory Board (2018–2021)[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Zur Person - Tanja Gönner". www.tanja-goenner.de. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  2. ^ "Stuttgart 21: CDU-Ministerin zieht Konsequenz aus Filz-Vorwurf" (in German). Handelsblatt.com. 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  3. ^ a b Ärzteblatt, Deutscher Ärzteverlag GmbH, Redaktion Deutsches (2004-08-02). "Berufen". Deutsches Ärzteblatt (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Gönner, Tanja". Webarchiv.bundestag.de. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  5. ^ deutschlandfunk.de (2011-03-24). "Freundlich, aber eiskalt in der Sache". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  6. ^ deutschlandfunk.de. "Ministerin Gönner hält an "Stuttgart 21" fest". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  7. ^ Koalitionsverhandlungen: Wen Union und FDP zum Feilschen schicken Spiegel Online, 6 October 2009.
  8. ^ Daniel Wetzel (4 November 2011), Tanja Gönner: Merkels Favoritin droht erneute Schlappe Die Welt.
  9. ^ a b Braun, Stefan. "Gönner wird BDI-Hauptgeschäftsführerin. Eine kleine Kulturrevolution". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  10. ^ Bundeskanzler beruft neuen Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), press release of 18 January 2023
  11. ^ Yasmin Osman (7 November 2023), Förderbank: Hypo-Vereinsbank-Chefin Höllinger soll in den Verwaltungsrat der KfW Handelsblatt.
  12. ^ Neuer Aufsichtsrat berufen VfB Stuttgart, press release of 28 September 2022.
  13. ^ VfB Stuttgart erstmals mit zwei Frauen im Aufsichtsrat Südwestrundfunk, 28 September 2022.
  14. ^ Economic Advisory Board Fraport.
  15. ^ Gönner Chefin im Flughafen-Aufsichtsrat BILD, 16 April 2010.
  16. ^ Advisory Board Energy and Climate Policy and Innovation Council (EPICO).
  17. ^ Board of Trustees World Vision Germany.
  18. ^ Starke politische Kompetenz: Neue Mitglieder im Kuratorium von World Vision World Vision Germany, press release of 14 December 2020.
  19. ^ Supervisory Board Stiftung Liebenau.
  20. ^ Council Agora Verkehrswende.
  21. ^ "Executive Board". Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG). Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  22. ^ Advisory Board Bundesverband der Unternehmervereinigungen (BUV).
  23. ^ Presidium Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft.
  24. ^ Advisory Board on Politics and Public Affairs Quadriga Hochschule Berlin.
  25. ^ Board of Trustees Tönissteiner Group.
  26. ^ Board of Trustees WLSB-Sportstiftung.
  27. ^ Board of Directors Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
  28. ^ Beirat für die BAKSBundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik konstituiert sich neu, Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS), press release of 18 October 2018.