Germany

Frank-Walter Steinmeier (President of the Federal Republic of Germany)

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was born in Detmold, Germany, in 1956. After completing his military service he studied Law and Political Science in Giessen. 1991 he obtained his doctorate in Law on the topic: „Bürger ohne Obdach: zwischen Pflicht zur Unterkunft und Recht auf Wohnraum. Tradition und Perspektiven staatlicher Intervention zur Verhinderung und Beseitigung von Obdachlosigkeit“ (Citizens Without Shelter: Between the Obligation of Accommodation and Right to Housing. Tradition and Perspectives of State Intervention to Prevent and Eliminate Homelessness).

In 1996 Steinmeier became the Undersecretary of State and Director of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony. Following that he became the Undersecretary of State at the office of the Chancellor in 1998. From 2005 to 2009 Steinmeier was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Angela Merkel. He has been a member of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) since 1998. In February 2017 he became the twelfth President of the Federal Republic of Germany.