Carola Reimann
{{Short description|German politician (born 1967)}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio|date=December 2020}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name =
| office = Member of the Bundestag for Braunschweig
| image = Carola Reimann.jpg
| party = Social Democratic
| birth_date = 25 August 1967
| birth_place = Goch, North Rhine-Westphalia
| termstart = 2002
| termend = 2017
| predecessor = Leyla Onur
| successor = Marja-Liisa Völlers
}}
Carola Reimann (born 25 August 1967) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as State Minister for Social Affairs, Health, and Equality in the cabinet of Minister-President Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony from 2017 to 2021. She previously represented Braunschweig in the Bundestag from 2002 until 2017.{{Cite web|title=Deutscher Bundestag - Dr. Carola Reimann|url=https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/R/reimann_carola-522854|access-date=2020-12-20|website=Deutscher Bundestag|language=de}}
Early life and education
Reimann has a doctorate in biotechnologyFranziska Scheven (March 11, 2015), [https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/politics/dignifying-death-germany-grapples-with-assisted-suicide/23507210.html Dignifying Death: Germany Grapples with Assisted Suicide] Handelsblatt. from Technical University of Braunschweig.
Political career
=Career in national politics=
In parliament, Reimann was a member of the Committee on Health (2000–2013) and the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (2000–2002). She served as her parliamentary group's spokesperson on health policy from 2005 until 2009.Andreas Mihm (August 4, 2009), [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/carola-reimann-die-nur-zur-not-gesundheitsministerin-1842826.html Die Nur-zur-Not-Gesundheitsministerin] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
From 2008 until 2017, Reimann was part of the leadership team of the SPD in Lower Saxony, under successive chairs Garrelt Duin (2007–2010), Olaf Lies (2010–2012) and Stephan Weil (2012–2017). Ahead of the 2009 elections, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier included her in his shadow cabinet of 10 women and eight men for the Social Democrats' campaign to unseat Chancellor Angela Merkel.[https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/steinmeiers-team-ein-spitzenkandidat-und-18-helfer/1569858.html Steinmeiers Team: Ein Spitzenkandidat und 18 Helfer] Der Tagesspiegel, July 30, 2009.Andreas Mihm (August 4, 2009), [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/carola-reimann-die-nur-zur-not-gesundheitsministerin-1842826.html Die Nur-zur-Not-Gesundheitsministerin] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Following the 2009 elections, Reimann chaired the Committee on Health from 2009 to 2013.
In the negotiations to form a Grand Coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the SPD following the 2013 federal elections, Reimann was part of the SPD delegation in the working group on health policy, led by Jens Spahn and Karl Lauterbach. From 2013, she served as deputy chair of the SPD parliamentary group, under the leadership of chair Thomas Oppermann. During her time in office, she notably led a cross-party initiative in 2015 for legislation on assisted suicide meant to absolve doctors from prosecution, alongside Peter Hintze and Lauterbach.Franziska Scheven (March 11, 2015), [https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/politics/dignifying-death-germany-grapples-with-assisted-suicide/23507210.html Dignifying Death: Germany Grapples with Assisted Suicide] Handelsblatt.
=Career in state politics=
In November 2017, Reimann resigned from parliament to accept her appointment as State Minister for Social Affairs, Health, and Equality in the cabinet of Minister-President Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony.Cornelia Schneider (November 20, 2017), [https://www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de/braunschweig/article212603129/Warum-verlaesst-Carola-Reimann-den-Bundestag-kurz-nach-der-Wahl.html Warum verlässt Carola Reimann den Bundestag kurz nach der Wahl?] Braunschweiger Zeitung. In this capacity, she was also one of the state's representatives on the Bundesrat.
In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, Reimann was again part of the working group on health policy, this time led by Hermann Gröhe, Georg Nüßlein and Malu Dreyer.
In March 2021, Reimann resigned from her office, citing health reasons.Daniel Puskepeleitis (March 2, 2021), [https://www.bild.de/regional/hannover/hannover-aktuell/sozialministerin-reimann-spd-rueckzug-klinik-75585106.bild.html Sozialministerin Reimann (SPD): Rückzug, Klinik!] BILD.
Later career
Since 2021, Reimann has been working as chair of German health insurance AOK. Jürgen Klöckner (July 20, 2021), [https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/krankenkassen-fruehere-spd-sozialministerin-carola-reimann-soll-neue-aok-chefin-werden/27437668.html Frühere SPD-Sozialministerin Carola Reimann soll neue AOK-Chefin werden] Handelsblatt.
Other activities
- Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2016)[https://www.ist.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/ist/de/documents/Presseinformationen/2016/PI_Fraunhofer-IST_Kuratoriumsmitglied_MdB_Reimann.pdf Dr. Carola Reimann wird neues Mitglied im Kuratorium des Fraunhofer IST] Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST), press release of May 11, 2016.
References
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Category:21st-century German women politicians
Category:Members of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Category:Members of the Bundestag 2002–2005
Category:Members of the Bundestag 2005–2009
Category:Members of the Bundestag 2009–2013
Category:Members of the Bundestag 2013–2017