Council Members

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an advisory body with a mandate from the German federal government. On 1 January 2020, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel again appointed 15 public figures to the Council for a three-year term. The Council additionally has the option of co-opting individuals offering particular specialist expertise on a project basis in order to together develop with them innovative solution approaches to specific sustainability topics. The Council was convened for the first time in April 2001 by then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Dr Werner Schnappauf

Chairman of the Council

Lawyer and consultant; former State Minister; former CEO of the Federation of the German Industries

Prof. Dr Imme Scholz

Deputy Chairwoman of the Council

Deputy Director of the German Development Institute (DIE); honorary professor at the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen - Foto: Andreas Weiss, © Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (3 MB)

Prof. Dr Alexander Bassen

Professor of economics, in particular capital markets and management, at the University of Hamburg

Ulla Burchardt - Photo: Andreas Weiss, © German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) (3 MB)

Ulla Burchardt

Former member of the German Bundestag; freelance strategy consultant

Saori Dubourg

Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE

Prof. Dr Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel

President of Brot für die Welt

Gerda Hasselfeldt

President of the German Red Cross (DRK e.V.)

Jörg-Andreas Krüger

President of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)

Markus Lewe

Mayor of the city of Münster, Vice President of the Association of German Cities

Lisi Maier

President of the German Federal Youth Council (DBJR)

Hubertus Paetow

President of the German Agricultural Society (DLG)

Katherina Reiche

Chairwoman of the Management Board of Westenergie AG

Gunda Röstel

Managing Director of Stadtentwässerung Dresden AG

Prof. Dr. Hubert Weiger - Photo: Andreas Weiss, © German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) (3 MB)

Prof. Dr Hubert Weiger

Honorary Chairman of Friends of the Earth Germany (Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland, BUND)

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul - © Photo: Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul

Former German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development; Vice-Chair of Friends of the Global Fund Europe Board for Germany

Former Council Members and Secretary General

2001-2020