Anja Karliczek

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Anja Karliczek

|image = Karliczek, Anja-1612.jpg

|office = Minister of Education and Research

|chancellor = Angela Merkel

|term_start = 14 March 2018

|term_end = 8 December 2021

|predecessor = Johanna Wanka

|successor = Bettina Stark-Watzinger

|office2 = Member of the Bundestag
for Steinfurt III

|term_start2 = 22 September 2013

|term_end2 =

|predecessor2 = Dieter Jasper

|successor2 =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|4|29|df=y}}

|birth_name = Anja Maria-Antonia Kerssen

|birth_place = Ibbenbüren, West Germany
{{small|(now Germany)}}

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Christian Democratic Union

|spouse = Lothar Karliczek

|children = 3

|alma_mater =

|signature = Anja Karliczek Signature.svg

}}

Anja Maria-Antonia Karliczek ({{née}} Kerssen; born 29 April 1971) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister of Education and Research in Chancellor Angela Merkel's fourth cabinet from 2018 to 2021.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bmbf.de/de/anja-karliczek-5817.html |title=Anja Karliczek – BMBF |last=BMBF-Internetredaktion |website=Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung – BMBF |language=de |access-date=14 March 2018 |archive-date=15 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315134218/https://www.bmbf.de/de/anja-karliczek-5817.html |url-status=dead }}

Early life and career

Karliczek was born in Ibbenbüren and grew up in Tecklenburg. After an apprenticeship at Deutsche Bank in Osnabrück, she moved to work in her family's hotel in 1993. While raising a family and working full-time, Karliczek studied business administration at University of Hagen from 2003 until 2008, with a diploma thesis analysing the fiscal advantages of transferring pension obligations from the employer’s point of view.

Political career

Karliczek joined the CDU in 1998 and became the party's local chair in Tecklenburg in 2011.

=Member of Parliament, 2013–present=

Karliczek has been a member of the Bundestag since the 2013 elections, representing Steinfurt III.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/K/karliczek_anja/520850 |title=Deutscher Bundestag – Anja Karliczek |website=Deutscher Bundestag |language=de |access-date=14 March 2018}} Between 2013 and 2018, she was a member of the Finance Committee, where she served as the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s rapporteur on occupational and fully funded pension schemes and employee shareholding. From 2017, she also served as deputy of Michael Grosse-Brömer in his role as First Secretary of the parliamentary group. In this capacity, she was a member of the parliament’s Council of Elders, which – among other duties – determines daily legislative agenda items and assigns committee chairpersons based on party representation.

In addition to her committee assignments, Karliczek is a member of the German-Slovenian Parliamentary Friendship Group.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2016/kw01-parlamentariergruppe-slowenien-400036 |title=Deutscher Bundestag – Dött: Slowenen leben den europäischen Gedanken |last=Schmid |first=Sandra |website=Deutscher Bundestag |language=de |access-date=5 September 2019}} Within the CDU/CSU, she is a member of MIT, its pro-business wing. She also belongs to the Münsterland Circle (Münsterlandrunde) which brings together all parliamentarians from the eponymous region in Westphalia; it also includes Sybille Benning and Jens Spahn, among others.

Since the 2021 elections, Karliczek has been serving on the Committee on Tourism and the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection. From 2021 to 2025, she was also her parliamentary group’s spokesperson for tourism.Daniela Vates (13 December 2021), [https://www.rnd.de/politik/union-in-der-opposition-wenige-frauen-auf-herausgehobenen-posten-spahn-wechselt-fachgebiet-YNADMJMASRBMBO6LR7ZTUPMTB4.html Unionsfraktion: Wenige Frauen auf herausgehobenen Posten] RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government of the CDU and Green Party under Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst following the 2022 state elections, Karliczek led her party’s delegation in the working group on research, innovation and digitization.Maximilian Plück (30 May 2022), [https://rp-online.de/nrw/landespolitik/nrw-koalition-von-cdu-und-gruenen-diese-politiker-verhandeln_aid-70580513 Koalitionsverhandlungen für Schwarz-Grün: Diese Politiker verhandeln für die CDU] Rheinische Post.

Since 2025, Karliczek has been serving as chairwoman of the German Parliament's Committee on Tourism.Eckart Lohse and Mona Jaeger (16 May 2025), [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/armin-laschet-soll-den-auswaertigen-ausschuss-fuehren-110480575.html Armin Laschet soll den Auswärtigen Ausschuss führen] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

=Federal Minister of Education and Research, 2018–2021=

In her capacity as minister, Karliczek was a member of the Joint Science Conference (GWK), a body which deals with all questions of research funding, science and research policy strategies and the science system that jointly affect Germany’s federal government and its 16 federal states.

During Karliczek’s term, the German government introduced annual incentives worth 1.25 billion euros in 2019 aimed at supporting corporate research and development and boosting investments in cutting-edge technologies.Michael Nienaber (22 May 2019), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-innovation/playing-catch-up-germany-introduces-incentives-for-corporate-research-idUSKCN1SS0VS Playing catch-up, Germany introduces incentives for corporate research] Reuters. In 2021, she publicly opposed proposals from the European Commission to restrict the right of scientists based in non-EU countries to collaborate in EU-funded projects on sensitive parts of the bloc’s €90 billion Horizon Europe scientific co-operation programme.Jim Brunsden (26 April 2021), [https://www.ft.com/content/39671abf-2868-4a59-a598-7c4a7a431363 Germany resists EU move to limit UK role on R&D] Financial Times.

As a representative of the German government, Karliczek was part of the delegation accompanying President Emmanuel Macron of France on his state visit to China in November 2019.Rym Momtaz (31 October 2019), [https://www.politico.eu/article/protect-eu-from-trump-china-alliance-emmanuel-macron/ Macron moves to protect EU from Trump-China alliance] Politico Europe.

Other activities

German Catholic Women's Association (KDFB), President (since 2023)[https://www.frauenbund.de/presse/anja-karliczek-ist-neue-praesidentin-des-kdfb/ Anja Karliczek ist neue Präsidentin des KDFB] German Catholic Women's Association (KDFB), press release of 22 October 2023.
Deutsche Telekom Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees[https://www.telekom-stiftung.de/en/foundation/contact-persons Board of Trustees] Deutsche Telekom Foundation.
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2018–2021)[https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/board-of-trustees.html Board of Trustees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408035115/http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/board-of-trustees.html |date=8 April 2014 }} Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Deutscher Zukunftspreis, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2018–2021)[http://www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de/en/the-prize/board-trustees Board of Trustees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420135902/http://www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de/en/the-prize/board-trustees |date=20 April 2018 }} Deutscher Zukunftspreis.
Ernst Reuter Foundation for Advanced Study, Ex-Officio Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees (2018–2021)[https://www.wiko-berlin.de/en/institute/committees/board-of-trustees/ Board of Trustees] Ernst Reuter Foundation for Advanced Study.
German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2018–2021)[http://www.kriminalpraevention.de/kuratorium.html Board of Trustees] German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK).
German National Association for Student Affairs, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2018–2021)[https://www.studentenwerke.de/en/content/board-trustees-deutsches-studentenwerk Board of Trustees] German National Association for Student Affairs.
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Ex-Officio Member of the Senate (2018–2021)[https://www.helmholtz.de/ueber_uns/die_gemeinschaft/satzung_und_governance/senat_und_senatskommission/senatsmitglieder/ Senate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114073736/https://www.helmholtz.de/ueber_uns/die_gemeinschaft/satzung_und_governance/senat_und_senatskommission/senatsmitglieder/ |date=14 January 2018 }} Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.
Leibniz Association, Ex-Officio Member of the Senate (2018–2021)[https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/Evaluierung/Senat-Mitglieder%C3%BCbersicht-Stand_Februar_2019.pdf Senate, as on 7 February 2019]{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Leibniz Association.
Max Planck Society, Member of the Senate (2018–2021)[https://www.mpg.de/11981554/MPG-Senat.pdf Senate, as of April 6, 2020] Max Planck Society.
Deutsche Renten Information (DRI), Member of the Advisory Board[https://www.deutsche-renten.info/vorstand-und-beirat/ Advisory Board] Deutsche Renten Information (DRI).
Rotary International, Member
Total E-Quality initiative, Member of the Board of Trustees[https://www.total-e-quality.de/der-verein/kuratorium/ Board of Trustees] Total E-Quality.

Political positions

In June 2017, Karliczek voted against Germany’s introduction of same-sex marriage.[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article166099805/Diese-Unionsabgeordneten-stimmten-fuer-die-Ehe-fuer-alle.html Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle] Die Welt, 30 June 2017. In 2018, she faced criticism after she questioned Germany's decision to recognize marriage equality in a television interview.[https://www.dw.com/en/critics-slam-german-education-minister-for-questioning-gay-marriage/a-46401515 Critics slam German education minister for questioning gay marriage] Deutsche Welle, 22 November 2018.

In November 2018, Karliczek successfully suggested to ease the terms of the 5G build-out plan for network providers, declaring "we don't need 5G internet next to every milk churn". This was supposed to allow a slower proliferation of fast mobile internet in large parts of Germany in exchange for a larger amount to be gained by the federal government from the auction of frequency bands to operators.

Personal life

She married Eurowings pilotPeter Henrichmann (17 January 2018), [http://www.wn.de/Muensterland/Kreis-Steinfurt/Westerkappeln/3130894-Bundestagsabgeordnete-Anja-Karliczek-spricht-ueber-Sorgen-um-den-Arbeitsplatz-Nie-nur-auf-ein-Einkommen-setzen Bundestagsabgeordnete Anja Karliczek spricht über Sorgen um den Arbeitsplatz: „Nie nur auf ein Einkommen setzen“] Westfälische Nachrichten. Lothar Karliczek in 1995; they have three children.{{Cite web |url=http://anja-karliczek.de/privat/ |title=Anja Karliczek {{!}} Persönlich |website=anja-karliczek.de |language=de-DE |access-date=14 March 2018}}