Thorsten Frei | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Frei in 2023 | |
| Head of the Chancellery Minister for Special Affairs | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2025 | |
| Chancellor | Friedrich Merz |
| Preceded by | Wolfgang Schmidt |
| Chief Whip of theCDU/CSU group in theBundestag | |
| In office 15 December 2021 – 5 May 2025 | |
| Leader | Ralph Brinkhaus Friedrich Merz |
| Preceded by | Michael Grosse-Brömer |
| Succeeded by | Steffen Bilger |
| Member of theBundestag forSchwarzwald-Baar | |
| Assumed office 22 October 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Siegfried Kauder |
| Mayor ofDonaueschingen | |
| In office 2004–2013 | |
| Preceded by | Bernhard Everke |
| Succeeded by | Erik Pauly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1973-08-08)8 August 1973 (age 52) |
| Party | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Freiburg |
| Occupation | Lawyer •Professor •Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Germany |
| Branch/service |  Bundeswehr |
| Years of service | 1993–1994 |
| Unit |  Franco-German Brigade |
Thorsten Frei (born 8 August 1973) is a German lawyer and politician of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving asHead of the Federal Chancellery in thegovernment ofChancellorFriedrich Merz since 2025.[1]
Frei has been serving as a member of theBundestag from the state ofBaden-Württemberg since 2013.[2]
Frei became mayor ofDonaueschingen in 2004, a position he relinquished when he first became a member of the Bundestag in the2013 German federal election.[3] From 2013 until 2017, he was a member of the Committee on European Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on Civilian Crisis Prevention.
From 2018 to 2021, Frei served as deputy chairman of theCDU/CSU parliamentary group, under the leadership of chairmanVolker Kauder. In this capacity, he coordinated the group's legislative activities on consumer protection, domestic affairs, sports, and minorities. He also served on the Committee on the Election of Judges (Wahlausschuss), which is in charge of appointing judges to theFederal Constitutional Court of Germany.
From 2021 to 2025, Frei was his parliamentary group'schief whip, under the leadership of successive chairsRalph Brinkhaus (2021–2022) andFriedrich Merz (2022–2025).[4][5]
In addition to his committee assignments, Frei chaired the German-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Group.
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| People | |
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