Germany's Merz set to name Bilger as transport minister

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is proposing Steffen Bilger as transport minister, replacing Patrick Schnieder in an ongoing cabinet reshuffle that puts one of Berlin’s most powerful infrastructure portfolios in the hands of a close conservative ally. The ministry oversees roads, rail, logistics, mobility planning and major investment decisions, making the post central to how Germany tackles bottlenecks, delays and years of underinvestment.

Transport in Germany is also a political fault line because it sits between climate policy, regional equity and the needs of an export-driven economy that depends on efficient freight movement and reliable commuter links.

Bilger brings long experience inside the Christian Democratic Union’s parliamentary machinery. Born on 16 February 1979 in Schongau, he has sat in the Bundestag since 27 October 2009 and is the CDU’s first parliamentary managing director. He also served as parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure, giving him direct exposure to the ministry. In October 2021, Bilger spoke at the United Nations Second Global Sustainable Transport Conference about climate-friendly, smart and affordable mobility as a German priority.

His transport background has also included aviation. In 2019, Bilger said air traffic would not collapse after Brexit. That experience comes as the government weighs early moves on rail investment, motorway maintenance, digitalization and the transition to lower-emission mobility, all while keeping pressure from industry and commuters in view.

The reshuffle comes after Merz unveiled his full cabinet when he became chancellor in May 2025 and after further turbulence this week, when Jens Spahn resigned as parliamentary group leader amid a separate controversy. The Bundestag transport committee’s work affects millions of people travelling every day, and Germany is a hub for European passenger and goods traffic.