By Andreas Rinke
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s conservative party on Monday named utility executive Katherina Reiche as the country’s next economy minister and foreign policy expert Johann Wadephul as foreign minister, as part of a raft of appointments.
Germany’s CDU/CSU conservatives under Friedrich Merz clinched a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) earlier this month, aiming to revive growth in Europe’s largest economy just as a global trade war threatens recession.
The deal accorded Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) the economy and foreign ministries, their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) the interior ministry and the SPD the defence and finance ministries.
A former lawmaker, Reiche has been CEO of regional energy infrastructure firm Westenergie – a division of E.ON, Europe’s largest operator of power grids – since early 2020.
Reiche, 51, served as a member of Germany’s parliament from 1998 until 2015 and held roles as parliamentary secretary at the environment and transport ministries.
Wadephul, a member of Germany’s parliament since 2009, will succeed Annalena Baerbock of the Greens in the position.
He is deputy leader of the CDU/CSU conservative faction in parliament responsible for foreign and defence topics.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Christoph Steitz and Sarah K Marsh; Editing by Rachel More)
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