Katherina Reiche back in politics: Big plan for the economy!

Katherina Reiche back in politics: Big plan for the economy!

Katherina Reiche, an experienced CDU politician and lobbyist, will return to German politics on July 2, 2025 and take over the office of Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy in Friedrich Merz's cabinet. Her return marks an important phase in her career, which she spent in the Bundestag from 1998 to 2015, where she also held various leading positions, including as deputy chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and as parliamentary state secretary in various ministries. Loud hr info radio her return will be accompanied by an audience discussion in the podcast in which she discusses her connections to the energy industry.

Reiche, born on July 16, 1973 in Luckenwalde, began her political career in the CDU, where she has been a member since 1992. She completed her academic education in 1997 with a diploma in chemistry after studying at various universities at home and abroad. From 1992 to 1998 she was also a research assistant at the University of Potsdam. She was also a founding member of the RCDS at her university and joined the Junge Union and the CDU, which laid the foundations of her political career.

Political career and commitment

From 2009 to 2013 she served as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for the Environment and then continued her work in the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure until 2015. After leaving the Bundestag, she was general manager of the Association of Municipal Companies (VKU) from 2015 to 2019 and then took on a leading role at Westenergie AG. The return to politics and the assumption of the ministerial office comes after a decade in advocacy that could strengthen her in her political return. Wikipedia also highlights that Reiche plays an active role in the Federal Government's National Hydrogen Council, which she has headed since June 2020.

Reiche's ambitions in the Ministry of Economic Affairs are high. She plans to significantly influence energy policy and could draw on her extensive experience in the energy industry to make her decisions. Their positions and networks could be crucial to address current challenges in the energy sector and promote sustainable economic development.

Personal life

Katherina Reiche is a Protestant and mother of three children. In 2003 she married the CDU politician Sven Petke. Her relationship with Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, which became public in April 2025, attracted media attention. Reiche is also committed to community issues, such as the reopening of the Catholic Marienschule in Potsdam and the renovation of the Teltow cemetery chapel. Her achievements were recognized by being awarded an MCI honorary professorship in April 2025.

Overall, Katherina Reiche represents a change in the German political landscape. The return of an experienced politician with extensive knowledge of the economic and energy policy challenges could be of great importance for federal politics.