Germany to tap utility executive Reiche for economy minister, sources say

Schaeffler AG

27/04/2025 19:16

BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Germany's conservative party is expected to name Katherina Reiche as the country's next economy minister, as part of a raft of appointments to be revealed on Monday, two people familiar with the matter said.

German 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.

A former lawmaker, Reiche has been CEO of regional energy infrastructure firm Westenergie - a division of E.ON EONGn.DE, Europe's largest operator of power grids -- since early 2020.

Carsten Linnemann, General Secretary of Merz's CDU, said the conservative party would unveil its ministerial appointments on Monday.

        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.

Prior to her current role, Reiche -- who sits on the supervisory board of automotive supplier Schaeffler SHA0.DE -- was the chief executive of Germany's VKU association of local utilities.

The CDU and E.ON declined to comment.

 (Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Christoph Steitz;
Editing by Ros Russell)

 ((christoph.steitz@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 220 133 647))