The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology () is a Federal Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was founded 1949 as the Federal Ministry of the Economy.

It was combined in May 1971 with the Federal Ministry of Finance to make the Federal Ministry of Economics and Finance. This joining only lasted until December 1972.

In 1998 the technology area of the Ministry of Research and Development was given to the ministry so that it was called Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. It was joined with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to make the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour between 2002 and 2005.

The new Federal Government of Angela Merkel split the two areas so that there is a Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology again.

History 
The ministry has had many names
 1917-1919 - Reichswirtschaftsamt the Reich Economy Office
 1919-1945 - the Reich Ministry of Trade and Commerce
 1946-1949 - the Administration Office for the Economy
 1949-1998 - the Federal Ministry of Economics
 1998-2002 - the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
 2002-2005 - the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour
 since end 2005 - Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology

Structure of the ministry 
To do its job, the ministry is divided into nine departments, the central division deals with administration, the other divisions deal with a certain area of policy. There are also some independent agencies which report to the ministry

Ministry divisions 
 Z - Central division
 E - European Affairs
 I - Economic policy
 II - Middle class policy
 III - Energy policy
 IV - Industrial policy
 V - International Economic policy
 VI - Communication and post policy
 VII - Technology policy

Authorities 
 Federal cartel office - BKartA, Bonn
 Federal Office of Economy and Export Control - BAFA, Eschborn, Bochum
 Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railways Federal Network Agency - BNetzA, Bonn
 Federal Agency for Foreign Trade - bfai, Cologne
 Federal Institute of Materials Research and Examination - BAM, Berlin
 Physical technological Federal Institute - PTB, Brunswick, Berlin
 Federal Institute of Geowissenschaften and raw material - BGR, Hanover, Berlin

Federal Ministers 
Economics 1949 to 1998 (1971/72: Federal Ministry of Economics and Finance)
 1949-1963: Ludwig Erhard, independent
 1963-1966: Kurt Schmücker, CDU
 1966-1972: Karl Schiller, SPD
 1972: Helmut Schmidt, SPD
 1972-1977: Hans Friedrichs, FDP
 1977-1982: Otto Graf Lambsdorff, FDP
 1982: Manfred Lahnstein, SPD
 1982-1984: Otto Graf Lambsdorff, FDP
 1984-1988: Martin Bangemann, FDP/DVP
 1988-1991: Helmut Hausmann, FDP/DVP
 1991-1993: Jürgen Möllemann, FDP
 1993-1998: Günter Rexrodt, FDP

The ministry had many junior ministers, one who has gone on to a more important political job is Norbert Lammert, CDU, who was parliamentary permanent secretary between 1994 and 1997. Lammert became President of the Bundestag in 2005

Of the ministry's top civil servants, called the "established permanent secretary", Klaus von Dohnanyi is best known. He was established permanent secretary in 1968 and 1969. He is a famous economist and was First Mayor of Hamburg

Federal Minister for Economy and Technology 1998 to 2002
 1998-2002: Werner Müller, independent

Federal Minister for Economics and Labour 2002 to 2005
 2002-2005: Wolfgang Clement, SPD

Federal Minister for Economics and Technology since 2005
 2005-2009: Michael Glos, CSU
 2009: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, CSU
 2009-2011: Rainer Brüderle, FDP
 2011-2013: Philipp Rösler, FDP

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, since 2013
 2013-2017: Sigmar Gabriel, SPD
 2017-: Brigitte Zypries, SPD

Headquarters
The main headquarters of the ministry is in Invalidenstraße in Berlin-Mitte. It is number of buildings which used to be the Kaiser Wilhelm academy (armed forces medical school) and the old hospital. The second headquarters of the ministry is the old Gallwitz barracks in Bonn-Duisdorf.

References