Heidrun Merk

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Heidrun "Heidi" Wish , formerly Alm-Merk, (* 28. April 1945 in Strub , community Bischofswiesen , Bavaria ) is a German SPD - politician . From 1986 to 2007 she was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament and from 1990 to 1996 Lower Saxony's Minister of Justice , from 1996 to 1998 Lower Saxony's Minister for Justice and European Affairs, from 1998 to 2000 Minister for Women, Labor and Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. From March 2008 to November 2009 she was honorary chairwoman of theJoint welfare association . She is married to Herbert Schmalstieg , mayor of Hanover from 1972 to 2006.

Professional background

Heidi Merk graduated from high school in Traunstein in Upper Bavaria in 1964 . She then studied law at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich . In 1970/1971 she worked as a trainee lawyer at the German-Peruvian Chamber of Commerce in Lima . After the second state examination in 1973, she worked as a civil servant for the city of Hanover. From 1978 to 1981 she was the managing director of the SPD council group in Hanover, from 1982 until her election to the state parliament in 1986, she was deputy head of the youth welfare office.

Political career

Heidi Merk joined the SPD in 1975. She held numerous party offices and functions. She is currently a member of the board of directors of the ASF district of Hanover and the SPD state executive committee. She has been a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament since 1986. From 1990 to 1993 she was a member of the federal and state constitutional commission and the state constitutional commission . From 1990 to 2000 she was a member of the Federal Council . From 1990 to 1996, as successor to Walter Remmers, she was Lower Saxony's Minister of Justice, from 1996 to 1998 Lower Saxony's Minister for Justice and European Affairs, from 1998 to 2000 Minister for Women, Labor and Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. As Minister for Women, she succeeded Christina Bührmann , and as Minister of Social Affairs after Wolf Weber , who was her successor as Minister for Justice and European Affairs. She had no direct predecessor as Minister of Labor. Her successor as Minister for Women, Labor and Social Affairs was Gitta Trauernicht . From 1996 to 1998, in addition to her work as minister, she was a member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union and Chair of the European Chamber of the Federal Council and Vice-President of the NIREB .

From 2001 to 2002 she was a member of the inquiry commission of the Lower Saxony state parliament on parliamentary reform. She was a member of the Committee for Federal and European Affairs and the Media as well as a member and spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group in the Petitions Committee. She resigned her state parliament mandate in January 2007 at her own request.

Further memberships

Heidi Merk belongs to the trade union ver.di , the Arbeiterwohlfahrt , Amnesty International , the International Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan, the Association for the Protection of Abused Women and Children, the Association of Friends for the Promotion of the Clementine House and the Child Protection Association . She was a member of the national board of Amnesty International for several years and is the chairwoman of the German-Spanish Society of Lower Saxony.

Orders and awards

See also

Web links


personal data
SURNAME Merk, Heidrun
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alm-Merk, Heidi (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (SPD), MdL
DATE OF BIRTH April 28, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Strub