Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter

Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (born 13 October 1962) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who serves as a member of the German , the German federal parliament. She is currently the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

In addition to her parliamentary work, Schwarzelühr-Sutter has been serving as Parliamentary State Secretary in the cabinets of successive Chancellors Angela Merkel (2013–2021), Olaf Scholz (2021–2025) and Friedrich Merz (since 2025).

Early life and education Schwarzelühr-Sutter was born on 13 October 1962 in Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg. She has led or been a member of German delegations on various topics, including the Small Islands Development Conference for Small Island Developing States (SIDS 2014), the conference of the treaty states of the Biodiversity Convention (UN-CBD COP-12),

Other activities Regulatory bodies Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Posts and Railway (BNetzA), Member of the Rail Infrastructure Advisory Council (2005–2009)

Corporate boards KfW, Member of the SME Advisory Council (since 2014) Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2018) (, BDU), Chairwoman of the Advisory Board (since 2014)

Political positions In July 2015, following irregularities involving the reactor pressure vessel at the Beznau Nuclear Power Plant in Switzerland, near the German border, and near her parliamentary constituency, Schwarzelühr-Sutter demanded the final shutdown of the power plant, which is the oldest still operating nuclear power station in the world, having gone on line in 1964.