The list of participants in the coalition negotiations between CDU/CSU and SPD in 2025 lists the people who participated in the coalition negotiations between the parties after the 2025 German federal election.
Negotiations to form a coalition began on 13 March 2025, and were successfully concluded on 9 April 2025.
The outcome of the coalition negotiations led to the formation of the Merz cabinet.
Round of party executives
CDU/CSU
Friedrich Merz, CDU Federal Chairman Markus Söder, CSU chairman and Minister-President of Bavaria Thorsten Frei, First Parliamentary Secretary of the Alexander Dobrindt, Chairman of the CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag
SPD
Lars Klingbeil, SPD Chairman Saskia Esken, SPD Chairwoman Matthias Miersch, acting SPD General Secretary
Negotiating group
CDU/CSU
Friedrich Merz, CDU Federal Chairman Karin Prien, Deputy Federal Chairwoman of the CDU Carsten Linnemann, CDU General Secretary Michael Kretschmer, Deputy Federal Chairman of the CDU Jens Spahn, Deputy Federal Chairman of the CDU Martin Huber, CSU General Secretary Markus Söder, CSU chairman and Minister-President of Bavaria Thorsten Frei, First Parliamentary Secretary of the Dorothee Bär, Deputy Chairwoman of the CSU Alexander Dobrindt, Chair of the in the Bundestag
SPD
Lars Klingbeil, SPD Chairman Saskia Esken, SPD Chairwoman Manuela Schwesig, Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Achim Post, Deputy Federal Chairman of the SPD Matthias Miersch, acting SPD General Secretary Bärbel Bas, former President of the Bundestag Hubertus Heil, Deputy Federal Chairman of the SPD Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defence Anke Rehlinger, Deputy Chairwoman of the SPD
Steering Group
CDU/CSU
Carsten Linnemann, CDU General Secretary Martin Huber, CSU General Secretary Thorsten Frei, First Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag Alexander Dobrindt, Chairman of the CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag
SPD
Matthias Miersch, acting SPD General Secretary Carsten Schneider
Working groups Sixteen working groups will be formed, each with 16 participants. The respective offices refer to the time of the negotiations, whereby for federal politicians, previous offices refer to the outgoing 20th legislative period and subsequent offices denote immediately following positions in the 21st legislative period. The designations MdB, MdL, MdA, MdHB, MdBB and MdEP indicate membership in the respective parliaments
Interior, Law, Migration and Integration RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorGünter Krings MdB, legal policy spokespersonAndrea Lindholz MdB, previously Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader, subsequently Vice President of the German BundestagDirk Wiese MdB, Previously Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader, subsequently First Parliamentary SecretaryOther membersSebastian Lechner MdL, Chairman of the CDU Lower SaxonySilke Launert MdB, Previously Chair of the Committee on the European Union, subsequently State Secretary in the Ministry of ResearchReem Alabali-Radovan MdB, previously Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, subsequently Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentRoman Poseck, Hessian Interior MinisterJoachim Herrmann MdL, Bavarian Interior MinisterDaniela Behrens, Lower Saxony's Interior MinisterArmin Schuster, Saxony's Interior MinisterJohannes Fechner MdB, Parliamentary Managing DirectorAlexander Throm MdB, domestic policy spokespersonAndy Grote MdHB, Hamburg's Senator of the InteriorNina Warken MdB, previously Parliamentary Managing Director, subsequently Federal Minister of HealthRalf Stegner MdB, former Minister of the Interior of Schleswig-HolsteinCarmen Wegge MdB, legal policy spokesperson
Economy, industry, tourism RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorJens Spahn MdB, previously deputy parliamentary group leader, subsequently parliamentary group leaderHansjörg Durz MdBAlexander Schweitzer MdL, Minister-President of Rhineland-PalatinateOther membersColette Boos-John, Minister of Economic Affairs in ThuringiaAlois Rainer MdB, Previously Chairman of the Finance Committee, subsequently Federal Minister of AgricultureVerena Hubertz MdB, previously Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader, subsequently Federal Minister for ConstructionJens Giesecke MdEPMichaela Kaniber MdL, Bavarian Minister of AgricultureFranziska Giffey MdA, Berlin Senator for Economic AffairsJulia Klöckner MdB, Previously economic policy spokesperson, subsequently President of the BundestagKaweh Mansoori, Hessian Minister of Economic AffairsChristian Freiherr von Stetten MdB, Spokesperson for small and medium-sized enterprisesSarah Philipp MdL, Co-Vorsitz SPD Nordrhein-WestfalenStephan Toscani MdL, Chairman of the CDU SaarlandSebastian Roloff MdBManja Schüle, Brandenburg Minister of Science
Digital RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorManuel Hagel MdL, Chairman of the CDU Baden-WürttembergReinhard Brandl MdB, Previously digital politics spokesperson, subsequently parliamentary managing director of the CSU state groupArmand Zorn MdB, Previously deputy spokesperson for financial policy, subsequently deputy parliamentary group leaderOther membersRonja Kemmer MdBJonas Geissler MdBChristian Pegel, Head of the State Chancellery of Mecklenburg-VorpommernCatarina dos Santos-Wintz MdBJudith Gerlach MdL, Bavarian Health MinisterMetin Hakverdi MdBNadine Schön MdB until 2025Ronja Endres, Co-chair of the SPD Bavaria, Head of the State Chancellery of Schleswig-Holstein, Head of the State Chancellery of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hessian Minister for Digital AffairsCarolin Wagner MdBTiemo Wölken MdEP
Transport and infrastructure, construction and housing RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorIna Scharrenbach MdL, Minister for Construction North Rhine-WestphaliaUlrich Lange MdB, subsequently State Secretary Ministry of TransportKlara Geywitz MdB (Head of Construction), ormer Federal Minister for ConstructionSören Bartol MdB (Head of Transport), former State Secretary, Ministry of Construction and TransportOther membersThomas Bareiß MdBMichael Kießling MdBSabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler MdL, Chairwoman of the SPD Rhineland-PalatinateJan-Marco Luczak MdB, previous spokesperson for construction policyChristian Bernreiter MdL, Bavarian Minister of ConstructionIsabel Cademartori MdB, previous transport policy spokespersonChristoph Ploß MdBElisabeth Kaiser MdB, previously State Secretary in the Ministry of Construction, subsequently Commissioner for Eastern GermanyPatrick Schnieder MdB, subsequently Minister of TransportKaren Pein, Hamburg Senator for Urban DevelopmentFelix Schreiner MdBPhilipp Türmer Juso chairman
Work and Social Affairs RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorCarsten Linnemann MdB, General Secretary of the CDUStephan Stracke MdBKatja Mast MdB, Previously First Parliamentary Secretary, subsequently State Secretary at the Ministry of LabourOther membersMarc Biadacz MdBPeter Aumer MdBDagmar Schmidt MdBInes Claus MdL, CDU parliamentary group leader in HesseUlrike Scharf MdL, Bavarian Minister of Social AffairsKerstin Griese MdB, State Secretary, Ministry of LabourGitta Connemann MdB, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of Economic AffairsCansel Kiziltepe MdA, Berlin Senator for LabourStefan Nacke MdBAnnika Klose MdBDennis Radtke MdEP, CDA Federal ChairmanKathrin Michel MdBNatalie Pawlik MdB, Previously Commissioner for Resettlement Issues, subsequently Commissioner for Migration
Health and Care RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorKarl-Josef Laumann MdL, Health Minister of North Rhine-WestphaliaStephan Pilsinger MdBKatja Pähle MdL, Parliamentary group leader Saxony-AnhaltOther membersKerstin von der Decken, Minister of Justice of Schleswig-HolsteinEmmi Zeulner MdBKarl Lauterbach MdB, former Federal Minister of HealthAlbrecht Schütte MdL (Baden-Württemberg)Klaus Holetschek MdL, Parliamentary group leaderSabine Dittmar MdB, previously State Secretary, Ministry of HealthTino Sorge MdB, Previously health policy spokesperson, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of HealthClemens Hoch, Minister of Health Rhineland-PalatinateDiana Stolz, Hessian Minister of HealthPetra Köpping MdL, Saxony's Minister of HealthHendrik Streeck MdB (since 2025), former member of the Corona Expert CouncilMatthias Mieves MdBAndreas Philippi, Lower Saxony's Minister of Health
Family, women, youth, senior citizens and democracy RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorSilvia Breher MdB, Previously family policy spokesperson, subsequently State Secretary at the Ministry of AgricultureSusanne Hierl MdBSerpil Midyatli MdL, Chairwoman of the SPD Schleswig-HolsteinOther membersHelge BendaRalph Edelhäußer MdBWiebke Esdar MdB, Spokesperson for the Parlamentarische LinkeConrad Clemens MdL, Saxony Minister of EducationKatrin Albsteiger, Mayor of Neu-UlmFelix Döring MdBKatharina Günther-Wünsch MdA, Berlin Senator for EducationJosephine Ortleb MdB, previously Parliamentary Managing Director, subsequently Vice President of the BundestagBettina Wiesmann MdBJochen Ott MdL, Parliamentary group leader North Rhine-WestphaliaMareike Lotte Wulf MdB, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry for FamiliesSvenja Stadler MdBMaja Wallstein MdB
Education, research and innovation RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorKarin Prien, Previously Minister of Education of Schleswig-Holstein, subsequently Federal Minister of EducationKatrin Staffler MdB, Previously education policy spokesperson, subsequently commissioner for nursing careOliver Kaczmarek MdB, Previous education policy spokespersonOther membersSebastian Gemkow MdL, Saxony Minister of ScienceThomas Silberhorn MdBStefanie Hubig, Previously Minister of Education of Rhineland-Palatinate, subsequently Federal Minister of JusticeThomas Jarzombek MdB, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of DigitalizationMarkus Blume MdL, Bavarian Minister of ScienceBettina Martin MdL, Minister of Science in Mecklenburg-VorpommernGordon Schnieder MdL, Chairman of the CDU Rhineland-PalatinateHolger Mann MdBChristian Tischner MdL, Thuringian Minister of EducationFalko Mohrs, Lower Saxony's Minister of ScienceJohannes Winkel MdB (since 2025), Chairman of Junge UnionAndreas Stoch MdL, Chairman of the SPD Baden-WürttembergRuppert Stüwe MdB
Bureaucracy reduction, state modernization, modern justice RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorPhilipp Amthor MdB, Previously Secretary General of the CDU Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, subsequently State Secretary of the Ministry for Digital AffairsDaniela Ludwig MdB, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of the InteriorSonja Eichwede MdB, spokesperson for legal affairsOther membersRalph Brinkhaus MdB, former parliamentary group leader (2018–2022)Tobias Winkler MdBNancy Faeser MdB, former Federal Minister of the InteriorDaniel Caspary MdEP, Chairman of the CDU/CSU GroupFlorian Herrmann MdL, Head of the Bavarian State ChancelleryAndreas Bovenschulte, Mayor of Bremen, Representative of the State of Schleswig-Holstein to the Federal GovernmentSebastian Hartmann MdB, Previously domestic policy spokesperson, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of DefenceHendrik Hoppenstedt MdB, Parliamentary Managing DirectorBurkhard Jung, Mayor of LeipzigFranziska Hoppermann MdB, CDU treasurerEsra Limbacher MdB, Chairman of the SPD SaarlandKathrin Wahlmann, Lower Saxony's Minister of Justice
Municipalities, sports and volunteering RoleCDUCSUSPDChief negotiatorChristina Stumpp MdB, Deputy Secretary GeneralStephan Mayer MdBThorsten Kornblum, Mayor of BraunschweigOther membersChristian Hirte MdB, subsequently State Secretary, Ministry of TransportAlexander Engelhard MdBRasha Nasr MdBThomas Kufen, Mayor of Essen, District President of Upper PalatinateMartin Dulig MdL, Saxony's Minister of Economic AffairsFlorian Müller MdB, Mayor of KaiserslauternSepp Müller MdBMahmut Özdemir MdB, former State Secretary, Ministry of the InteriorJohannes Steiniger MdB, Generalsekretär CDU Rheinland-PfalzSabine Poschmann MdB,