Stefan Wenzel

Stefan Wenzel
Wenzel in 2018
Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 July 2022
Serving with
ChancellorOlaf Scholz
MinisterRobert Habeck
Preceded byOliver Krischer
Member of the Bundestag
Incumbent
Assumed office
2021
Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection of Lower Saxony
Minister-PresidentStephan Weil
In office
19 February 2013 – 22 November 2017
Preceded byStefan Birkner
Succeeded byOlaf Lies
Personal details
Born (1962-05-05) 5 May 1962 (age 62)
Nakskov, Denmark
NationalityGerman
Children3
OccupationPolitician

Peer Stefan Wenzel (born 5 May 1962) is a German agricultural economist and politician for the Alliance 90/The Greens who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since the 2021 elections, representing the Cuxhaven – Stade II district.[1]

In addition to his parliamentary work, Wenzel has been serving as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in the coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 2022.[2]

Political career

Career in state politics

From left: Stefan Birkner, David McAllister, Stephan Weil and Wenzel in 2013
Wenzel speaking at a panel discussion on phasing out natural gas held 9 December 2024

A trained agricultural economist, Wenzel was elected to the Lower Saxon Landtag in the 1998 state elections, and has been re-elected on two occasions. In 2004 he succeeded Rebecca Harms as chairman of the Green Party's parliamentary group. Wenzel was a Green Party delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2009 and 2017.

On 19 February 2013, Wenzel was sworn in as Deputy Minister-President and State Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection in the state government of Minister-President Stephan Weil. As one of the state's representatives at the Bundesrat, he served as chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Protection and Reactor Safety.

In 2014, Wenzel led the negotiations on the future of controversial radioactive waste disposal facility in Gorleben.[3] From 2014 and 2016, he was one of the members of Germany's temporary National Commission on the Disposal of Radioactive Waste.[4]

When the Green Party had to leave the coalition government following 2017 state elections, Wenzel was succeeded by Olaf Lies. From 2017 until 2021, he chaired the State Parliament's Finance Committee and the Audit Committee.

Member of the German Parliament, 2021–present

In parliament, Wenzel has been serving on the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.[5] In addition to his committee assignments, he is a member of the German delegation to the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly.[6]

Other activities

Personal life

Wenzel is married and has three daughters. The family lives on an estate of low-energy houses.[9]

References

  1. ^ Maximilian Matthias and Jean-Charles Fays (September 27, 2021), Wer aus Niedersachsen in den Bundestag einzieht Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.
  2. ^ Christian Geinitz (4 July 2022), Habecks neuer Mann: Wenzel folgt Krischer als Staatssekretär Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
  3. ^ Federal government and Lower Saxony agree upon details in terms of keeping Gorleben operable Federal Office for Radiation Protection, press release of 29 July 2014.
  4. ^ Abschlussbericht der Kommission Lagerung hoch radioaktiver Abfallstoffe
  5. ^ Stefan Wenzel Bundestag.
  6. ^ Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly Bundestag.
  7. ^ Stefan Wenzel neuer Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender der Deutschen Energie-Agentur German Energy Agency (DENA), press release of 1 September 2022.
  8. ^ Supervisory Board German Energy Agency (DENA).
  9. ^ Speakers: Stefan Wenzel International Conference on Climate Action (ICCA2015), Hannover.

Media related to Stefan Wenzel at Wikimedia Commons