Former German politician Wolfgang Schäuble has died at the age of 81. He “fell asleep peacefully” at home on Tuesday evening in the presence of his family, several reported German media. Schäuble had a long political career: he was the longest-serving parliamentarian in German history on behalf of the CDU. He was also previously a minister and chairman of the German Bundestag.
Outside Germany, Schäuble gained most fame as Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2017. During that period, the European Union was experiencing a debt and euro crisis, during which Schäuble advocated strict budgetary policies in southern euro countries. For example, he was at the basis of the strict austerity policy that Greece had to implement in order to qualify for European support packages. He had previously implemented such budget discipline in Germany itself.
After his ministership, Schäuble was elected chairman of the German parliament. He performed that role from a wheelchair after being shot by a German man after giving a lecture.
Under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Schäuble played a prominent role as Minister of the Interior in the reunification of East and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The then 48-year-old minister was fired upon in 1990 and hit in the jaw and back. Schäuble was paralyzed from the waist down, but continued to carry out his political work for years.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) – who had a lot to do with Schäuble during the Greek debt crisis – describes his German ex-colleague as “gentle gentleman”. Rutte believes that Germany and Europe are “losing a leading politician.” “His legacy is great, partly due to his work as Minister of Finance and President of the Bundestag,” he writes. “I knew him as an impressive man with enormous knowledge and clear vision.”
Also read
this interview with Schaüble’s biographer