Helge Braun

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Helge Braun
Helge Braun Porträt 2017.jpg
Head of the Chancellery
Assumed office
14 March 2018
ChancellorAngela Merkel
Preceded byPeter Altmaier
Minister for Special Affairs
Assumed office
14 March 2018
ChancellorAngela Merkel
Preceded byPeter Altmaier
Minister of State for Bureaucracy Reduction and Federal-State Relations
In office
17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018
ChancellorAngela Merkel
Preceded byEckart von Klaeden
Succeeded byHendrik Hoppenstedt
Parliamentary Secretary of State for Education and Research
In office
28 October 2009 – 17 December 2013
ChancellorAngela Merkel
MinisterAnnette Schavan
Johanna Wanka
Preceded byAndreas Storm
Succeeded byStefan Müller
Member of the Bundestag for Giessen
Assumed office
27 September 2009
Preceded byRüdiger Veit
Personal details
Born (1972-10-18) 18 October 1972 (age 48)
Giessen, West Germany
Political partyChristian Democratic Union
Alma materUniversity of Giessen
Websitehelge-braun.de

Helge Reinhold Braun (born 18 October 1972) is a German medical doctor and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Since 2018, he has been serving Head of the Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the fourth coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. He was the Parliamentary Secretary of State for Bureaucracy Reduction and Federal-State Relations at the Chancellery between 2013 and 2018.

Early life and education[]

After passing the Abitur in 1992 at the Liebigschule in Giessen, Braun studied medicine at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen. From 2001 until 2009, he was a scientific assistant at the Clinic for Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Analgesic Therapy of the University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg. He speaks German and some English.[1]

Political career[]

From 1989 until 2007 Braun was a member of the Young Union (JU). He was the district leader of the JU Giessen from 1992 till 1997 and from 1998 until 2001 he was the regional leader of the JU Mittelhessen.

He has been a member of the Christian Democratic Union since 1990.

Member of Parliament[]

Braun first served as a member of the Bundestag from October 2002 to September 2005. From 2003 until 2005 he was the deputy leader of the Hessian Members of the Bundestag. He also served on the Committee on Education and Research, the Committee on Environment, Nuclear Safety and Nature Conservation and on the Parliamentary Advisory Board for Sustainable Development.

Braun lost his seat in the 2005 federal elections. He was able to re-enter the Bundestag in 2009, winning the constituency of his home town of Gießen[2] with a majority of 59,441 votes or 36.7%. After the election, he was again elected as deputy leader of the Hessian MPs. In the subsequent federal elections of 2013 and 2017 he was able to defend his seat.

In Merkel's second coalition government, Braun was Parliamentary Secretary of State for Education and Research,[3] serving alongside Thomas Rachel under successive ministers Annette Schavan (2009–2013) and Johanna Wanka (2013). During his time in office, he notably stepped up Germany’s activities on research into neglected tropical diseases.[4]

In the negotiations to form a Grand Coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the Social Democrats following the 2013 federal elections, Braun was part of the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on education and research policy, led by Johanna Wanka and Doris Ahnen. Merkel subsequently appointed him as Parliamentary Secretary of State for Bureaucracy Reduction and Federal-State Relations,[5] serving directly under her in the Federal Chancellery. In that capacity, he was one of the officials co-ordinating Germany’s response to the European migrant crisis in 2015.[6]

After the 2017 elections and the successful coalition talks between the CDU/CSU and SPD in February 2018, Braun became the designated Head of the Chancellery and Federal Minister of Special Affairs in the fourth Merkel government.[7] On 14 March 2018, he succeeded Peter Altmaier.

For the 2021 elections, Braun was elected to lead the CDU campaign in Hesse.[8]

Other activities[]

  • German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Vice Chairman of the Council (since 2018)
  • Loewe Center for Novel Drug Targets against Poverty-Related and Neglected Tropical Infectious Diseases (DRUID), Member of the Advisory Board[9]
  • Friends of the University of Giessen, Member of the Governing Board[10]
  • Sepsis-Stiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees[11]
  • Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Member of the Board of Trustees (2009-2013)[12]
  • German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF), Ex-Officio Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees (2009-2013)
  • Stiftung Lesen, Member of the Board of Trustees (2009-2013)

Recognition[]

  • 2015: Global Sepsis Award

Personal life[]

Braun is a Roman Catholic and is married.[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Christoph Hasselbach (13 March 2018), Angela Merkel's new chief of staff: Helge Braun – the all-rounder Deutsche Welle.
  2. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Prof. Dr. Helge Braun". Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Prof. Dr. Helge Braun MdB, Staatsminister bei der Bundeskanzlerin". helge-braun.de (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  4. ^ Lina Hoffman (29 December 2011), Germany intensifies fight against neglected diseases Deutsche Welle.
  5. ^ "Bundesregierung | Bundeskanzleramt | Staatsminister und Staatssekretär". bundesregierung.de (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  6. ^ Tobias Buck (25 February 2018), Angela Merkel offers critic Jens Spahn cabinet post Financial Times.
  7. ^ Online, FOCUS. "Barley und Heil komplettieren Minister-Riege: So soll das neue Kabinett aussehen". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  8. ^ Robert Maus (June 12, 2021), Parteitag in Gießen: Helge Braun soll Hessen-CDU zum Sieg führen Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
  9. ^ Advisory Board University of Giessen, Loewe Center for Novel Drug Targets against Poverty-Related and Neglected Tropical Infectious Diseases (DRUID).
  10. ^ Organization Friends of the University of Giessen.
  11. ^ About Us Sepsis-Stiftung.
  12. ^ Anja Kühne (18 September 2013), Finanzlücke beim Max-Delbrück-Centrum Berlin: „Mangelhafte Organisation" kostete MDC fast 13 Millionen Euro Der Tagesspiegel.
Political offices
Preceded by
Peter Altmaier 		Chancellery Chief of Staff
2018– 		Incumbent
Minister for Special Affairs
2018–
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