Steffi Lemke | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lemke in 2024 | |
| Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection | |
| In office 8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025 | |
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz |
| Preceded by | Svenja Schulze |
| Succeeded by | Carsten Schneider |
| Chief Executive of theAlliance '90/The Greens | |
| In office 8 December 2002 – 19 October 2013 | |
| Leader | Fritz Kuhn Claudia Roth Angelika Beer Reinhard Bütikofer Cem Özdemir |
| Preceded by | Reinhard Bütikofer |
| Succeeded by | Michael Kellner |
| Member of theBundestag forSaxony-Anhalt | |
| Assumed office 22 September 2013 | |
| Constituency | Alliance '90/Greens List |
| In office 16 October 1994 – 22 September 2002 | |
| Constituency | Alliance '90/Greens List |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-01-19)19 January 1968 (age 58) |
| Party | Greens |
| Children | 1[1] |
| Alma mater | Humboldt University of Berlin |
Steffi Lemke (born 19 January 1968) is a German politician ofAlliance 90/The Greens who served as theFederal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection inChancellorOlaf Scholz'scabinet from 2021 to 2025.
Lemke has been amember of the Bundestag from the state ofSaxony-Anhalt from 1994 through 2002 and since 2013.[2]
After attending a polytechnic secondary school inDessau, Lemke initially trained as a zoo technician from 1984 to 1986. Afterwards she worked as a letter carrier from 1986 to 1988. She also attended a secondary school leaving certificate course at thePhilanthropinum in Dessau. After graduating from high school in 1988, she studied agricultural science at theHumboldt University of Berlin, graduating in 1993 with a degree in agricultural engineering (specialising in animal production).
Lemke was one of the co-founders of theGreen Party in the GDR in 1989. She first served as a member of the German Bundestag from 1994 to 2002, representing theDessau-Roßlau andWittenberg districts. During that time, she was part of the Committee on Food and Agriculture.
From 2002 to 2013 Lemke worked as the Green Party's managing director, under the leadership of co-chairsAngelika Beer (2002–2004),Reinhard Bütikofer (2002–2008),Claudia Roth (2004–2013) andCem Özdemir (2008–2013). In this capacity, she managed her party's campaigns in three national elections which were all successive. In late 2013, she considered running for the party's leadership but ultimately pulled out from consideration, instead making room forSimone Peter.[3]
Since the2013 elections, Lemke has been a member of the German Bundestag again, where she served as one of fourwhips of herparliamentary group under the leadership of the group's co-chairsKatrin Göring-Eckardt andAnton Hofreiter from 2013 until 2021.[4][5] In this capacity, she was a member of the parliament'sCouncil of Elders, which – among other duties – determines daily legislative agenda items and assigns committee chairpersons based on party representation.
Lemke was also a member of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.[6] She served as her parliamentary group's spokesperson for nature conservation policy. In addition to her committee assignments, she was part of the German Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the States of Central America.
Following the2016 state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Lemke was part of her party's delegation in the negotiations on forming Germany's first-evercoalition government between theChristian Democratic Union, theSocial Democratic Party and the Green Party. She was briefly considered to join the government subsequently formed under the leadership ofMinister-PresidentReiner Haseloff and become State Minister for the Environment and Agriculture;[7] however, the position instead went to Claudia Dalbert.
In the negotiations to form a so-calledtraffic light coalition of theSocial Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and theFDP following the2021 federal elections, Lemke led her party's delegation in the working group onenvironmental policy; her co-chairs from the other parties wereRita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (SPD) andStefan Birkner (FDP).[8] The negotiations led to the successful formation of a government, and Lemke took up the post ofMinister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection in thenew cabinet, serving underChancellorOlaf Scholz.
In 2022, Lemke introduced draft legislation requiring manufacturers of products made with single-use plastic, such as bottles and cups, to pay an annual levy into a fund to help municipalities with the cost of clearing up litter.[9]
In October 2023, Lemke participated in the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired by Scholz andPresidentEmmanuel Macron.[10][11]
When Germany'snuclear power phase-out was investigated by a committee in 2024-25, Lemke insisted that an open-ended review had been conducted.[12]
Lemke is divorced and lives with her current partner inDessau. She has a son.[15]
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