Volker Wissing | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wissing in 2023 | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 7 November 2024 – 6 May 2025 | |
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz |
| Preceded by | Marco Buschmann |
| Succeeded by | Stefanie Hubig |
| Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport | |
| In office 8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025 | |
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz |
| Preceded by | Andreas Scheuer |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Schnieder |
| General Secretary of theFree Democratic Party | |
| In office 19 September 2020 – 23 April 2022 | |
| Leader | Christian Lindner |
| Preceded by | Linda Teuteberg |
| Succeeded by | Bijan Djir-Sarai |
| Leader of theFree Democratic Party inRhineland-Palatinate | |
| In office 7 May 2011 – 7 November 2024 | |
| Deputy | Daniela Schmitt Sandra Weeser |
| Preceded by | Rainer Brüderle |
| Succeeded by | Daniela Schmitt |
| Deputy Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate | |
| In office 18 May 2016 – 18 May 2021 | |
| Minister- President | Malu Dreyer |
| Preceded by | Eveline Lemke |
| Succeeded by | Anne Spiegel |
| State Minister for Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture of Rhineland-Palatinate | |
| In office 18 May 2016 – 18 May 2021 | |
| Minister- President | Malu Dreyer |
| Preceded by | Eveline Lemke |
| Succeeded by | Daniela Schmitt |
| Member of theBundestag forRhineland-Palatinate | |
| In office 26 October 2021 – 23 February 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Manuel Höferlin |
| Constituency | FDP list |
| In office 23 January 2004 – 22 October 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Marita Sehn |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Höferlin(2017) |
| Constituency | FDP list |
| Member of theLandtag of Rhineland-Palatinate | |
| In office 18 May 2016 – 18 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Mertin(2011) |
| Succeeded by | Daniela Schmitt |
| Constituency | FDP list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1970-04-22)22 April 1970 (age 55) |
| Political party | Independent (2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations | FDP (1998–2024) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Landau, Germany |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
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Volker Wissing (born 22 April 1970) is a German lawyer and former judge who served as theMinister for Transport in thefederal government of ChancellorOlaf Scholz from 2021 to 2025 and asMinister of Justice from 2024 to 2025.
Wissing was previously the Deputy Minister-President ofRhineland-Palatinate in the state government under Minister-PresidentMalu Dreyer from 2016 to 2021 and a member of the GermanBundestag from 2004 to 2013. He was the general secretary of theFree Democratic Party from 2020 to 2022. Wissing declared his resignation from the party on 7 November 2024 in order to remain part of theScholz cabinet in the wake of the2024 German government crisis. Following the resignation ofMarco Buschmann, he also assumed the office ofMinister of Justice.[1] TheGerman federal election in February 2025 was asnap election. The FDP got 4.3 % of the votes and missed theFive percent hurdle.
Wissing was born 1970 in the German town ofLandau in der Pfalz and studiedlaw at theSaarland University.[2]
Wissing achieved a law degree and worked for some time as a judge before he entered professional politics.[3]
Wissing entered the FDP in1998. He became a member of the GermanBundestag in 2004 when he took the seat of Marita Sehn who had died in a car accident. From 2004 until 2013, he served on the Finance Committee; he chaired the committee from 2009 until 2013 (during theSecond Merkel cabinet, a CDU/CSU and FDP coalition). From 2011 until 2013, he also served as one of his parliamentary group's deputy chairpersons, under the leadership of chairmanRainer Brüderle.
In the negotiations to form acoalition government of the FDP and the Christian Democrats (CDU together with the BavarianCSU) following the2009 federal elections, Wissing was part of the FDP delegation in the working group on financial policy and taxes, led byThomas de Maizière undHermann Otto Solms.[4]
On the state level, Wissing became chairman of the party's branch in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2011 succeeding Rainer Brüderle.[5] He led the Free Democratic Party back into the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate in theMarch 2016 state election. After coalition negotiations Wissing became Deputy Minister President and State Minister for Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture in theSecond Dreyer cabinet.
In 2020 FDP leaderChristian Lindner nominated Wissing to serve as General Secretary of the party, succeedingLinda Teuteberg. Subsequently, Wissing announced his switch for state politics to the federal arena, announcing his candidacy for the Bundestag in theSeptember 2021 German federal election.
On 24 November 2021, Wissing was nominated by the Federal Executive Committee of the FDP for the post ofMinister for Transport and Digital Affairs in the designated federal government. He took office as Transport Minister on 8 December as theScholz cabinet (the firstTraffic light coalition) was sworn in.
On 24 February 2022, Russian forces began theirinvasion of Ukraine. Two days later, Wissing ordered the blocking of German airspace for Russian aircraft.[6]
In July 2022, Wissing publicly presented his plans to meetemissions reductions targets in the German transport sector, shortly before the deadline. The scientific committee tasked with assessing the sufficiency of his proposed measures declared the plan entirely insufficient and decided not even to evaluate it, given there was "nothing to be evaluated".[7]
In March 2023, Wissing participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Japan inTokyo, chaired by Chancellor Scholz andPrime MinisterFumio Kishida.[8] In October 2023, he joined the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired byOlaf Scholz andPresidentEmmanuel Macron.[9][10]
In November 2024 duringgovernment crisis when the FDP withdrew support from the governing coalition, Wissing announced that he would leave the FDP in order to continue his term as Transport Minister.[11][12] He was additionally appointedMinister of Justice on 7 November 2024 after the incumbent FDP ministerMarco Buschmann was dismissed byPresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier upon Scholz' request.[13]
Wissing is married and has a daughter. The family lives inBad Bergzabern and Berlin'sPrenzlauer Berg district.[16]
Media related toVolker Wissing at Wikimedia CommonsScholz Cabinet (2021–2025) | ||
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