Thorsten Frei, the Chancellor's Chief of Staff, Holds His Ground: "I Am No Political Castrato"
Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Mr. Frei, stated the following:
In his new role as the head of the Federal Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, a CDU politician, has committed to acting as an "honest broker" for the federal government. "Of course, I'll steer clear of grandstanding," Frei told Der Spiegel, reassuring that his own political initiatives won't jeopardize the cooperation between the SPD and the Union. However, he didn't hesitate to emphasize, "I am a CDU federal minister, not a political castrato."
Despite his previous criticism of the Chancellery's expansion as a "vanity project" during his tenure as an opposition politician, Frei plans to stay the course. He acknowledges that the time to reasonably halt construction has long passed, as something is already growing out of the ground there. The team will search for a cost-effective solution for further construction.
Ahead of the new government's launch, Frei has expressed a desire for the new government to prove its differences from the old one before the parliamentary summer recess. He believes that the black-red coalition will last for four years but notes that they have agreed on flexibility in handling the coalition agreement, prepared to adjust as necessary.
Under Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Federal Chancellery experienced a significant increase in personnel, resulting in costs for the expansion of the building skyrocketing to around 800 million euros. Despite criticism from Christian Lindner, then the Finance Minister, Scholz maintained his support for the expansion.
As part of the new government's efforts to streamline operations, Frei pledges to implement a two percent annual reduction in the Chancellery's personnel, a target agreed upon in the coalition agreement. He emphasizes that he'd serve as a model for other ministries and won't demand anything unpleasant from them that he wouldn't do himself.
Furthermore, the federal government aims to eliminate nonessential commissions. According to Frei, he has encountered commissioner roles that made him wonder if they even existed, promising to put a stop to the "commissioner craze." This isn't solely a cost-saving measure, he clarifies, but a matter of efficient state organization.
- German Bundestag
- Thorsten Frei
- Federal Chancellery
- Black-Red
- Border Controls
- Migration Policies
- Despite the criticism from some quarters about the expansion of the Federal Chancellery under Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Thorsten Frei, the Chancellor's Chief of Staff, has pledged to seek a cost-effective solution for further construction.
- In a nod to the need for efficient state organization, Thorsten Frei intends to eliminate nonessential commissions and put a stop to the "commissioner craze" within the federal government.
- As the new government settles into office, Thorsten Frei has stated his desire for the black-red coalition to prove its differences from the previous government before the parliamentary summer recess, indicating a commitment to setting a new course for politics in Germany.
- In his role as an "honest broker" for the federal government, Thorsten Frei has voiced his intention to serve as a model for other ministries by implementing a two-percent annual reduction in the Chancellery's personnel, as agreed upon in the coalition agreement.
