22 Facts About Peter Altmaier

Peter Altmaier was born on 18 June 1958 and is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union who served as Acting Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2018 and as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy from 2018 to 2021.

Peter Altmaier previously served as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety from May 2012 to December 2013 and Head of the German Chancellery and as Federal Minister for Special Affairs from December 2013 to March 2018.

Peter Altmaier is known for his "compromising style" and was described in 2017 as "the most powerful man in Berlin".

Peter Altmaier coined the German term "Altmaier-Delle", which describes the poor development of renewable energies in Germany during his time in office.

Peter Altmaier represented Saarlouis in the Bundestag between 2009 and 2021.

Peter Altmaier was born on 18 June 1958 in Ensdorf, Saarland.

Peter Altmaier is the son of a coal miner and a nurse.

In 2012, Peter Altmaier stated that he has always been a single person in his life, "so there can be nothing in the archives about a relationship".

Peter Altmaier began his career as a research assistant for public and international law at Saarland University in 1995 and later at the European Institute of Saarland University.

Peter Altmaier worked for the Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission from 1990 to 1994.

Peter Altmaier has been a member of the Bundestag since the 1994 national elections.

From 2006 to 2011 Peter Altmaier was president of Europa-Union Deutschland, the German section of the Union of European Federalists.

However, on 9 October 2021, Peter Altmaier resigned from the Bundestag together with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in order to make room for younger people.

In 2009, Peter Altmaier was mentioned by international media as potential candidate for the office of European Commissioner.

Peter Altmaier served as the government's chief negotiator with the opposition Social Democrats and Greens, as well as with potential rebels from the government benches.

In 2012, Peter Altmaier served as chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel, which provides parliamentary oversight of Germany's intelligence services BND, BfV and MAD.

On 22 May 2012, Peter Altmaier replaced Norbert Rottgen as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the second Merkel cabinet.

Peter Altmaier demanded companies to harvest metals including rare earths from recycled electronics as Germany sought to become less dependent on imports from China and other nations.

In 2012, Peter Altmaier led the German delegation to the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha.

In July 2015, Altmaier invited the United States Ambassador to Germany, John B Emerson, to explain documents publicized by WikiLeaks that showed what appeared to be summaries of recorded conversations involving Chancellor Merkel or senior officials.

Peter Altmaier belongs to the more liberal wing of the CDU.

Ahead of the Christian Democrats' leadership election in 2018, Peter Altmaier publicly endorsed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Angela Merkel as the party's chair.