Employee, spokeswoman for the Thuringian Land branch of Alliance 90/The Greens, Vice-President of the German Bundestag

Born on 3 May 1966 in Friedrichroda (Thuringia); Protestant; married, two sons.

Attended polytechnic school and advanced upper secondary school; obtained Abitur (higher education entrance qualification). Studied theology.

Assistant to the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Thuringian Land Parliament; employed by a Member of the Bundestag.

In the GDR without party affiliation; involved in the Church of Solidarity opposition group. In 1989 member of Democratic Awakening, in 1990 member of Democracy Now, then of Alliance 90 and Alliance 90/The Greens; member of the federal spokespersons’ council of Alliance 90; member of the executive committee of Land branch of Alliance 90 and then Alliance 90/The Greens; chairwoman of Alliance 90/The Greens county council group from 1991 to 1994; spokeswoman for the Thuringian Land branch of Alliance 90/The Greens from 1995 to 1998 and since 2002; member of the federal executive of Alliance 90/The Greens from 1996 to 1998.

Member of the German Bundestag since 1998; deputy parliamentary secretary from October 1998 to 2002 and first parliamentary secretary of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in 2002; chairwoman of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group from October 2002 to September 2005. Vice-President of the German Bundestag since 18 October 2005.

Useful information

Dear visitor,

I would like to give a very brief description of the priorities of my work in Berlin and Thuringia. Further information is available from my website www.goering-eckardt.de, where you can subscribe to my newsletter or listen to my podcast.

My constituency is composed of Erfurt, Weimar and the Weimarer Land region, but as the only Green Member of the Bundestag from Thuringia, I naturally represent the interests of the entire Free State of Thuringia. Thuringia is a great region with a vast amount of potential, but it also has problems that I think are representative of many structurally weak regions throughout Germany. While Thuringia has a great deal to offer in terms of culture and nature, and there are innovative approaches in the economic sector, the region also faces major demographic and thus social challenges.

I have already touched above on a few of the topics on which, in my view, greater emphasis must be placed. As cultural-policy spokeswoman for the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, I am working to achieve a cultural policy that is not just for a small elite, but for all: for young and old, for city-dwellers and people who live in rural regions, for those who are highly educated and those with little access to education – irrespective of how much money people have.

It is important to counter the risk of a cultural divide: emigration from peripheral regions, in particular, and the selective education system threaten to ruin many people’s chances of fair access to an education in the arts. To counter this, it is particularly important that children and youth work in the cultural sector be expanded and intensified. This applies to opportunities at theatres, schools and museums, as well as libraries, which are all examples of the links between culture and education.

Alongside my work in the field of cultural policy, supporting young people and families is particularly important to me. This goes far beyond ensuring a reliable, affordable and nation-wide childcare system. It is also about the often precarious and uncertain situation of many young people who are undergoing training or who can only find internships or short-term employment. Poverty has many facets, and none of them are acceptable. We need to ensure that people’s basic material needs are met, but above all, this is also a matter of equal opportunities regarding participation in education and culture – particularly for children and young people.

Participation always also means democratic participation: both policy for children and young people and policies pursued with children and young people. Inspiring enthusiasm about democracy, enthusiasm about participating and helping to shape things, both large and small – as a citizen, parliamentarian and Vice-President of the German Bundestag, I consider that to be an extremely important task, one which I carry out in my work in the Bundestag generally, in plenary sittings, and in my wide range of local contacts and visits.

If you would like more information about my work in Berlin or Thuringia, please contact my Member’s office in Berlin or my constituency office in Thuringia.

Berlin office: 
German Bundestag
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin

Email: katrin.goering-eckardt@bundestag.de
Tel.: +49 (0)30-227-71928
Fax: +49 (0)30-227-76275

Erfurt office:
Lutherstraße 5
99084 Erfurt

Email: goering-eckardt.buero-erfurt@t-online.de
Tel.: +49 (0)361-6795674
Fax: +49 (0)361-6795675

Declaration on secondary employment and outside income:

I have provided the President with the required information regarding secondary employment and outside income to the best of my knowledge and belief. In accordance with the Code of Conduct for Members of the Bundestag, I neither have secondary employment nor receive outside income that must be disclosed.

Membership of Bundestag bodies

• Vice-President of the German Bundestag
• Member:
  Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs
  Council of Elders
• Substitute member:
  Study Commission on Culture in Germany
  Sports Committee
  Subcommittee on Cultural and Education Policy Abroad