Stefan Birkner

Political career

Birkner was elected to the State Parliament of Lower Saxony in the 2008 state elections. However, in February 2008 he left the Landtag to become a State Secretary for the State Minister of the Environment in the second cabinet Wulff, Hans-Heinrich Sander. He was replaced by Christian Grascha. From January 2012 until 2013, he served as State Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Protection in the government of Minister-President David McAllister.

In September 2017, Birkner succeeded Christian Dürr as chairman of the FDP's parliamentary group.

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and the FDP following the 2021 federal elections, Birkner led his party's delegation in the working group on environment policy; his co-chairs from the other parties were Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (SPD) and Steffi Lemke (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen).

Birkner was nominated by his party as a delegate to the Federal Convention to elect the President of Germany in 2022.

Life after politics

In February 2023, Birkner joined consulting firm Ernst & Young. In April 2023, he was nominated by Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing to lead the executive board of the Autobahn GmbH, a state-owned entity; amid public criticism around the appointment, he withdrew his name from consideration.

Other activities

• Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway (BNetzA), Alternate Member of the Advisory Board (2012–2013)

Personal life

Birkner is married. His brother-in-law is fellow politician Robert Habeck.

References

References

1. [https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/Konstantin-Kuhle-ist-neuer-FDP-Landeschef-in-Niedersachsen,kuhle124.html Konstantin Kuhle ist neuer FDP-Landeschef in Niedersachsen] ''[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk]]'', 11 March 2023.
2. Andreas Apetz and Thomas Kaspar (October 22, 2021), [https://www.fr.de/politik/ampel-koalition-verhandlung-spd-gruene-fdp-arbeitsgruppen-scholz-lindner-baerbock-91069532.html Ampel-Koalition: Alle Verantwortlichen, AGs und Themen im Überblick] ''[[Frankfurter Rundschau]]''.
3. [https://www.landtag-niedersachsen.de/drucksachen/drucksachen_18_12500/10001-10500/18-10450.pdf Drucksache 18/10450: Niedersächsische Mitglieder der 17. Bundesversammlung am 13. Februar 2022] [[Landtag of Lower Saxony. State Parliament of Lower Saxony]].
4. Lars Laue (10 March 2023), [https://www.noz.de/deutschland-welt/niedersachsen/artikel/niedersachsen-fdp-vor-wechsel-an-der-spitze-44318081 Nach Wahlschlappe: Mit Doppelspitze? Wie die Niedersachsen-FDP sich wieder aufrichten will] ''[[Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung]]''.
5. Jens Tartler (14 April 2023), [https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/ohne-gewahr-spd-und-grune-gegen-wissings-mann-fur-die-autobahn-gmbh-9659168.html Seriöses Auswahlverfahren gefordert: SPD und Grüne torpedieren Wissings Spitzen-Mann für die Autobahn GmbH] ''[[Der Tagesspiegel]]''.
6. Reinhard Bingener (18 June 2023), [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/fdp-scheitert-mit-personalie-bei-autobahnen-18973012.html Wissings Wunschkandidat für Autobahngesellschaft sagt ab] ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]''.
7. Teresa Havlicek (16 August 2012), [https://taz.de/FDP-Spitzenkandidat-in-Niedersachsen-/!5086382/ FDP-Spitzenkandidat in Niedersachsen: Der leise Liberale] ''[[Die Tageszeitung]]''.