This article is about the modern German government agency. For the historic ministry prior the founding of the Federal Republic, see
Reich Ministry of Transport
.
Cabinet-level ministry in Germany
The
Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
(
German
:
Bundesministerium fur Digitales und Verkehr
,
pronounced
[?b?nd?smin?s?teː?i?m
fyː??
di?i?taːl?s
?nt
f????keː??]
ⓘ
), abbreviated
BMDV
, is a
cabinet-level ministry
of the
Federal Republic of Germany
. Its main office is located in Berlin, while the majority of its civil servants and employees work in
Bonn
, the secondary seat.
The Ministry itself has about 1300 employees. At the top is the Federal Minister, and there are two Parliamentary Secretaries, who are also Member of the
Bundestag
, and two civil servant undersecretaries. The ministry oversees 63 downstream agencies and authorities
[2]
where around 25,000 people work.
[3]
The agency was formed through the merger of the former Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, both established in 1949. The merged ministry was at first named Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing until it adopted the name Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) in 2005. On December 17, 2013, it was renamed to Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) through an organizational decree by the
Merkel III Cabinet
. A decree issued by
Olaf Scholz
upon assuming
chancellorship
on December 8, 2021, lead to the ministry receiving its current designation.
[4]
After
German reunification
, politicians from the
New states of Germany
often headed the ministry, which had large responsibility over rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure left over from former
East Germany
.
Gunther Krause
was the first minister after the
1990 German federal election
and in 2002, former
Minister-President of Brandenburg
Manfred Stolpe
was appointed, after his successor as Minister-President, then-
Mayor of Potsdam
Matthias Platzeck
had refused the job in 1998. Stolpe was succeeded by then-
Mayor of Leipzig
Wolfgang Tiefensee
, who had refused the job similarly to Platzeck in 2002.
Responsibilities
[
edit
]
The ministry, together with its subordinate agencies, is responsible for all federal portfolio tasks which touch the mobility of people, goods, services and data.
The responsibilities extends to the federal transport infrastructure (
Autobahn
, federal motorways, railway networks, waterways and air traffic) as well as to the widespread availability of modern broadband networks across Germany. Hence, the ministry develops legal policies and ensures the safety of the modes of transport, respectively. Additionally, it ensures the seamless planning and financing of investments for maintenance and development of infrastructures.
The main focus in the field of digital infrastructure is a comprehensive supply of fast Internet with a transmission speed of at least 50 Mbps). Another task is to modernise mobility (alternative fuels, interconnected and intelligent transport system). This includes, e.g., the establishment of 'Digitales Testfeld Autobahn' to test innovative vehicle technologies. The ministry is also responsible for the
Galileo
satellite navigation system and the
Copernicus
Programme of the European Union.
Agencies
[
edit
]
Subordinate agencies include:
Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
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]
External links
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]
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