Quo Vadis, German Development Cooperation?

What we can expect from the new government

The German development community has been through uncertain times since the federal elections took place in late September. The Social Democrats lost, and the SPD development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul had to step down from her post - after shaping Germany’s development policy for eleven years. The liberal FDP, the main winner of the elections had put forward the demand of doing away with an independent development ministry in its election campaign. Bodo Ellmers reports

However, uncertainty over whether development will still exist as an independent field of policy is now partly over. Last week the parties signed the new coalition agreement. The good news: the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) still exists as an independent body. But now the bad news: It went to the FDP.

For many observers and especially the development community, this choice is seen as a provocation. The FDP’s former General Secretary, Dirk Niebel (see photo), has been appointed as the new development minister...

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