Nancy Faeser

Faeser went to elementary school in Schwalbach am Taunus, a suburb of Frankfurt am Main, and passed her Abitur at the Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium.

From 1990 to 2000 Faeser studied law at the Goethe University Frankfurt. She completed a semester abroad at the New College of California and graduated with her second state bar exam as a licensed attorney.{{Cite web |last=Yumpu.com |title=Faeser, Nancy - Lebenslauf - SPD Hessen |url=https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/read/32445054/faeser-nancy-lebenslauf-spd-hessen |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=yumpu.com |language=de}}

Until 2000, Faeser worked as a research assistant at Clifford Chance in Frankfurt am Main and then, after her bar exam, worked as a full-time lawyer at Clifford Chance from 2000 to 2007.

Faeser joined the SPD in 1988.Susanne Höll (29 January 2019), [https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/profil-nancy-faeser-1.4306312 Profil: Nancy Faeser] Süddeutsche Zeitung.

In parliament, Faeser served as a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs (2003–2009), the Committee on the Election of Judges (2003–2013), the Committee on Economic Affairs, Energy and Transport (2014–2018) and the Committee on Internal Affairs (since 2009).[https://hessischer-landtag.de/content/nancy-faeser Nancy Faeser] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109071245/https://hessischer-landtag.de/content/nancy-faeser |date=9 November 2021 }} State Parliament of Hesse. From 2009, she was her parliamentary group's spokesperson on internal affairs.

In the 2013 Hesse state election, Faeser was the shadow minister for internal affairs in the campaign team of SPD candidate Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel.Christoph Schmidt Lunau (9 July 2013), [https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/hessen-vor-der-wahl-die-elf-von-tsg/8473502.html Hessen vor der Wahl: Die Elf von TSG] Der Tagesspiegel. In 2019, she was elected her parliamentary group's chairwoman.

On 17 June 2023, Faeser was elected as the top candidate on the party list in the upcoming 2023 Hessian state election, and also stood as the party's direct candidate in the Main-Taunus I electoral district in Frankfurt's northwestern suburbs, which includes her hometown of Schwalbach am Taunus. However, she won only 14.8% of the direct vote in the district, coming third after CDU (43.9%) and the Greens (16.1%).{{Cite web |title=Hessen Wahlergebnis |url=https://wahlen.hessen-ltw23.23degrees.eu/wk/03200000000/details |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=wahlen.hessen-ltw23.23degrees.eu}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=Ergebnisse für den Wahlkreis Main-Taunus I {{!}} Landtagswahl Hessen 2023 |url=https://www.hessenschau.de/politik/landtagswahl/ergebnisse/ergebnisse-fuer-den-wahlkreis-main-taunus-i--landtagswahl-hessen-2023-v1,ltwhe23-wahlkreis-wk032-ergebnis-100.html |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=hessenschau.de |language=de}} She was elected on the party list, but all three federal government parties (SPD, the Greens and FDP) suffered losses in the election, with SPD winning only 15% of the vote in its worst performance in the state history and coming third after CDU (34.6%) and AfD (18.4%). The loss can be attributed to discontent with Scholz's government, of which she is a minister.{{Cite web |title=Hesse: SPD's Faeser concedes defeat in 'disappointing result' – DW – 10/08/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/hesse-spds-faeser-concedes-defeat-in-disappointing-result/liveblog-post-67034370 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=dw.com |language=en}}

In March 2025, Faeser became member of the Bundestag for Hesse.[https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/F/faeser_nancy-1044244 Bundestag.de: Nancy Faeser]

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the SPD, the Green Party and the Free Democrats (FDP) following the 2021 German elections, Faeser was part of her party's delegation in the working group on migration and integration, co-chaired by Boris Pistorius, Luise Amtsberg and Joachim Stamp.Britt-Marie Lakämper (21 October 2021), [https://www.waz.de/politik/article233641303/koaltionsverhandlungen-spd-gruene-fdp-ampel-arbeitsgruppen.html SPD, Grüne, FDP: Diese Politiker verhandeln die Ampel-Koalition] Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.

After the coalition was successfully formed, on 6 December 2021, it was announced that Faeser would become the first female Interior Minister of Germany in the German government in the Scholz cabinet.{{Cite web|last=Stroh|first=Kassian|date=6 December 2021|title=Lauterbach wird Gesundheitsminister, Scholz benennt SPD-Minister|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/bundesregierung-lauterbach-gesundheitsminister-scholz-kabinett-spd-minister-1.5481021|access-date=2021-12-06|website=Süddeutsche.de|language=de}} In her capacity as minister, Faeser also takes part in the meetings of the Standing Conference of Interior Ministers and Senators of the States (IMK).

Faeser was nominated by her party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022.[https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/878348/b21e5621b2f3de04e328535bd589e151/mitglieder_bv_2022-data.pdf 17th Federal Convention, 13 February 2022, List of Members] Bundestag.

File:2023-02-12 BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Oberhof 2023 – Men 12.5 km Pursuit by Sandro Halank–001.jpg

In September 2022, the Ministry of the Interior under Faeser closed the "Expert Group on Political Islamism" set up by her predecessor, Horst Seehofer.{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/innenministerium-aus-fuer-expertenkreis-islamismus-18290498.html |title=Aus für den "Expertenkreis Politischer Islamismus" |website=faz.net |language=de |date=4 September 2022 }}

Prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when asked in an interview with ARD's Monitor about the awarding of the event to the country, she emphasised that awarding major sporting events should be linked to compliance with human rights and principles of sustainability, by saying: "There are criteria that must be adhered to and it would be better that tournaments are not awarded to such states."{{cite web |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/faeser-katar-wm-kritik-101.html |title=Faeser kritisiert Fußball-WM in Katar |website=tagesschau.de |language=de |date=27 October 2022}} In response, the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the remarks, and Qatar summoned the German ambassador to protest against her comments.{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/30/gcc-condemns-german-ministers-remarks-on-qatar-world-cup-2022 |title=GCC condemns German minister's remarks on Qatar World Cup 2022 |website=Al Jazeera|date=30 October 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-interior-minister-nancy-faeser-travel-qatar-fifa-football-world-cup-criticism/|work=Politico|date=21 November 2022|title=Top German minister will travel to Qatar World Cup despite criticism|last=Rinaldi|first=Gabriel}} Faeser attended Germany's first game at the World Cup on 23 November where she wore a OneLove armband (a pro LGBTQ+ symbol) which FIFA had prevented players from wearing in the tournament with threats of sanctions.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/story/4811294/germany-players-cover-mouths-in-team-photo-amid-onelove-armband-row|publisher=ESPN|date=23 November 2022|title=Germany players cover mouths in team photo amid OneLove armband row}}

File:DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Conducts Bilat with German Minister of Interior (52697503476).jpg in Munich, Germany, 18 February 2023]]

In March 2023, Faeser participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Japan in Tokyo, chaired by Chancellor Scholz and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.[https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/scholz-kabinett-japan-101.html Regierungskonsultationen: Scholz und Minister in Japan] Tagesschau, 18 March 2023.

In April 2023, Faeser appointed an eight-person commission to re-appraise the attack on Israeli athletes and team members at the 1972 Summer Olympics to answer unresolved questions.Miranda Murray (21 April 2023), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-appoints-commission-re-appraise-1972-munich-olympics-attack-2023-04-21/ Germany appoints commission to re-appraise 1972 Munich Olympics attack] Reuters.

After the outbreak of the Gaza war, Faeser passed laws criminalizing alleged Hamas slogans, including "from the river to the sea".{{Cite web |last=Rath |first=Christian |date=2023-11-13 |title=„From the River to the sea“: Palästinenser-Parole verboten – bis zu drei Jahre Freiheitsstrafe |url=https://www.rnd.de/politik/from-the-river-to-the-sea-palaestinenser-parole-verboten-bis-zu-drei-jahre-freiheitsstrafe-CZKQ4U4UAJADBJR5L7PDZCRHDM.html |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=www.rnd.de |language=de}} Liz Fekete criticized Faeser's interpretation that the slogan was uniquely linked to Hamas. Such a reading, according to Fekete, can be seen as "silencing Palestinians and smearing their aspirations".{{Cite journal |last=Fekete |first=Liz |date=2024-05-24 |title=Anti-Palestinian racism and the criminalisation of international solidarity in Europe |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03063968241253708 |journal=Race & Class |language=en |doi=10.1177/03063968241253708 |issn=0306-3968|url-access=subscription }}

In July 2024 Faeser imposed a ban on the magazin Compact arguing that the magazine worked against constitutional order.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/pressemitteilungen/DE/2024/07/exekutive2.html |title=Press release of the German Interior Ministry }} The editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer described the decision as "the worst invasion of press freedom in Germany."{{Cite web |title=German far-right rails against banning of Compact magazine – DW – 17/07/2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-far-right-rails-against-banning-of-compact-magazine/a-69692133 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=dw.com |language=en}}

On 2 May 2025, days before the Merz cabinet took office, Faeser was responsible for quoting from a report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution which apparently classified the political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor. The report itself was kept secret, but later leaked to various media outlets. Faeser was critisized for her verdict, since the report did not contain compelling evidence, but was merely a collection of already publicly available quotes by AfD members.{{Cite web |title=Wie Nancy Faeser den Geheimdienst politisch missbraucht hat |url=https://www.cicero.de/innenpolitik/tausend-seiten-gegen-die-demokratie |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=cicero.de |language=de}} Chancellor Friedrich Merz critisized Faeser for the timing of her announcement and the fact, that her office had not checked the report before going public.{{Cite web |title=Merz befeuert mit Kritik an Faeser Debatte über AfD-Gutachten |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/rechtsextremismus-merz-befeuert-mit-kritik-an-faeser-debatte-ueber-afd-gutachten/100128704.html |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=handelsblatt.com |language=de}}

Immigration

In her first year in office, Faeser extended border checks at crossings from Austria for six months after a rise in the number of migrants arriving via the Western Balkans route.Alexander Ratz and Maria Sheahan (11 October 2022), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-extends-checks-austrian-border-migrant-numbers-rise-2022-10-11/ Germany extends checks at Austrian border as migrant numbers rise] Politico Europe.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnd.de/politik/innenministerin-faeser-sorge-um-gestiegenen-einreisezahlen-von-migranten-PDWSSCI4SE7SWEEMQZ22747G5M.html |title=Innenministerin Faeser: Sorge um gestiegenen Einreisezahlen von Migranten |website=rnd.de |language=de |date=11 October 2022 }}

Following Faeser's propospal, Germany's coalition government listed Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin in August 2023, in an effort to process asylum applications from those countries more quickly and lead to faster deportations for failed applicants.Alexander Ratz (30 August 2023), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-government-agrees-24-bln-euro-basic-child-allowance-2023-08-28/ German government agrees new 2.4 bln euro basic child allowance] Reuters.

In September 2023, more than 120 boats carrying around 7,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa within 24 hours.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-15 |title=What's behind the surge in migrant arrivals to Italy? |url=https://apnews.com/article/migration-italy-lampedusa-3b47cdacb91c2d72f99b11aa396a6d59 |website=AP News |language=en}} Faeser said that "in view of the massive influx of migrants to Lampedusa, Berlin wants to once again, voluntarily, accept migrants from Italy, which was recently halted."{{cite news |title=Germany agrees to accept some migrants from Italy amid Lampedusa crisis |url=https://tvpworld.com/72767469/germany-agrees-to-accept-some-migrants-from-italy-amid-lampedusa-crisis |work=Telewizja Polska |date=16 September 2023}}

• German Foundation for Active Citizenship and Volunteering (DSEE), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2022)[https://www.deutsche-stiftung-engagement-und-ehrenamt.de/stiftungsrat/ Board of Trusteees] German Foundation for Active Citizenship and Volunteering (DSEE).
• Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2022)[https://www.spd-wirtschaftsforum.de/das-wirtschaftsforum/politischer-beirat/ Political Advisory Board] Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
• Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Member of the Board of Trustees[https://csl.mpg.de/scientific-advisory-board-and-board-of-trustees Board of Trustees] Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law.
• EBS Law School, Member of the Board of Trustees[https://www.ebs.edu/en/advisory-board EBS Law School: Advisory Board of Trustees] EBS University of Business and Law.
• Hessischer Rundfunk, Member of the Broadcasting Council[https://www.hr-rundfunkrat.de/mitglieder/nancy-faeser,nancy-faeser-104.html Broadcasting Council: Nancy Faeser] Hessischer Rundfunk.

Faeser's father Horst (1942–2003) was the mayor of her hometown of Schwalbach am Taunus from 1988 to 2002.

Faeser has been married to lawyer Eyke Grüning since 2012.[https://www.fr.de/rhein-main/main-taunus-kreis/nancy-faeser-traut-sich-11306139.html Nancy Faeser traut sich] Frankfurter Rundschau, 5 October 2012. The couple have a son and live in Schwalbach am Taunus.Carsten Knop (6 December 2021), [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/neue-bundesinnenministerin-wer-ist-nancy-faeser-17670185.html Neue Bundesinnenministerin: Wer ist Nancy Faeser?] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

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• [https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/F/faeser_nancy-1044244 Bundestag.de: Nancy Faeser]

{{Cabinet Scholz}}

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{{Members of the 21st Bundestag}}

{{Bundestag-Hesse}}

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Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century German women politicians

Category:Female interior ministers

Category:Interior ministers of Germany

Category:Members of the Landtag of Hesse

Category:Members of the Bundestag 2025–2029

Category:Members of the Bundestag for Hesse

Category:Politicians from Hesse

Category:Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians