Hans-Peter Friedrich

Hans-Peter Friedrich (born 10 March 1957) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU) who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag from 1998 to 2025 . Under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel, he served as Federal Minister of the Interior (2011–2013) and as Minister for Food and Agriculture. Friedrich resigned from that position in February 2014. Friedrich has a controversial history with minorities in Germany, causing outrage in 2013 after telling journalists that Islam in Germany is not something supported by history at any point.

Early life and education Born in 1957 in Naila, near the northern Bavarian town of Hof, Friedrich has a PhD in law and also studied economics. From 1990 to 1991, Friedrich worked in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the economy department of the Germany Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Political career Early career Friedrich began his national political career as an aide to Michael Glos, a senior CSU official in parliament.

Friedrich has been a member of the Bundestag since the 1998 federal elections. Between 2007 and 2009, he was one of 32 members of the Second Commission on the modernization of the federal state, which had been established to reform the division of powers between federal and state authorities in Germany.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government following the 2009 federal elections, Friedrich led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on transport and building policies; his co-chair from the FDP was Patrick Döring.

From 2009, Friedrich led the CSU in parliament, replacing Peter Ramsauer. During that time, he was said to have enjoyed a good relationship with Merkel and to have often sided with national interests over Bavarian ones. On 7 June 2011 he attended the state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama in honor of Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.

European integration In early 2012, Friedrich became Chancellor Angela Merkel’s first Cabinet member to suggest Greece’s exit from the euro. In an interview with Der Spiegel, he said Greece would have better chances of overhauling its economy and restoring growth if it left the euro area.

In late 2012, Friedrich called for the immediate suspension of the visa-free regime for Serbia and Macedonia after more than 7,000 citizens of the two countries applied for asylum in Germany within one year.

Surveillance In the wake of the US National Security Agency's (NSA) internet surveillance scandal around PRISM in 2013, Friedrich was long perceived as not particularly devoted to investigating the full scope of NSA spying activities in Germany. Instead, he defended the NSA's methods and promptly demanded legislation changes, in order to be able to expand surveillance of communication traffic by the German Bundesnachrichtendienst as well. In an effort to point out how valuable information provided by the NSA can be for Germany, he argued that forty-five terror attacks had been prevented by the Prism program, including five in Germany; however, he soon back-peddled, unable to pinpoint the five instances. In a later interview with Münchner Merkur newspaper, Friedrich held that Edward Snowden was not a victim of political persecution.

Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture (2013–2014) In the negotiations to form a so-called Grand Coalition following the 2013 federal elections, Friedrich led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on internal affairs and justice; his co-chair from the SPD was Thomas Oppermann.

Friedrich was sworn in as Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture in the third cabinet of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on 17 December 2013. He resigned on 14 February 2014, The investigations showed MP Sebastian Edathy's link to a globally-operating child pornography syndicate, and plans to take up an investigation against Edathy on suspicion of possessing such material.

Later career Following the 2017 elections, Friedrich was elected as one of the vice presidents of the German Parliament, under the leadership of President Wolfgang Schäuble. In this capacity, he also joined the parliament's Council of Elders, which – among other duties – determines daily legislative agenda items and assigns committee chairpersons based on party representation.

In 2020, Friedrich co-founded the "China-Bridge" initiative, a non-profit networking association to strengthen links between Germany and China.

In 2024, Friedrich announced that he would not stand in the 2025 federal elections but instead resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term.

Other activities Corporate boards Friedrich-Baur-GmbH, Member of the Advisory Board Münchener Verein, Member of the Supervisory Board

Non-profit organizations German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW), Member of the Political Advisory Board Atlantik-Brücke, Member German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Member Foundation for Family Businesses, Member of the Board of Trustees German-Hungarian Youth Office, Member of the Board of Trustees Ostbayerisches Technologie-Transfer-Institut (OTTI), Member of the Advisory Board Stiftung Datenschutz, Member of the Strategic Advisory Board Rotary International, Member

Personal life Friedrich is married with three children.