State Secretary

Since the founding of the Weimar Republic in 1919, the highest-ranking civil servants assigned to the minister in each ministry have held the title State Secretary. They are responsible for ensuring that the ministry is able to carry out its tasks in line with the minister’s directions and guidance. They represent the minister both within the ministry and to the outside world. Because their work requires a high level of political agreement with the minister’s policy and subject-related objectives, state secretaries are known as “political” civil servants.