Bodo Hombach
Encyclopedia
Bodo Hombach German politician, Member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD) and now Publishing House Director, was also Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in Schröder's first Cabinet from 1998 to 1999. Hombach then changed jobs and became EU Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe in Brussels
. In 2002, Bodo Hombach joined the Management Board of the WAZ Media Group, an internationally active German publishing company.
on the Ruhr, North Rhine Westphalia. After training to become a telecommunications craftsman (apprenticeship from 1967 to 1970 with the Telephone Exchange in Duisburg
), Bodo Hombach studied Social Work at the Düsseldorf
Polytechnic from1973 to 1978. He worked as State Secretary of the Trade Union for Education and Science before he became a Member of the North Rhine Westphalian State Parliament for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1990 to 1998. He was its State Party Chairman from 1979 to 1991 and Economic Spokesman of the SPD State Parliamentary Group and Chairman of the Enquiry Board from 1990 to 1998.
Apart from his political activity, Hombach was Managing Director of the private limited companies, Preussag
Handel GmbH (Salzgitter) and Preussag (Salzgitter) International GmbH in Düsseldorf from 1991 to 1998.
In 1998, he joined Clement
's Cabinet as State Minister for Economy and SME, Technology and Transport in North Rhine Westphalia.
Hombach co-ordinated several election campaigns of the North Rhine Westphalian Social Democratic Party and the Federal Social Democratic Party. He was regarded as a brilliant election campaign strategist and creator of the slogan 'We in North Rhine Westphalia'. Nelson Mandela
chose him to be his personal adviser for his first election campaign.
appointed him to his Cabinet as Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery
. Hombach ranked among the most powerful and influential politicians not just because of his charisma and high profile, and he was a firm opponent of Lafontaine
's policy.
He showed his party the way to new groups of voters and was an advocate of the 'new centre ground', a reform-oriented policy to safeguard the country's future viability.
Indicative of this policy was the 'Schröder-Blair
Paper' published under the title 'The way ahead for Europe's Social Democrats' and written by Bodo Hombach and his British colleague, today's EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson
. 'Bodo Hombach, Germany's trouble-shooter' was The Economist
's headline about the 'boy wonder from the Ruhr'. "The magazine was surprised that despite his wealth of power, Hombach continued to be a 'lone fighter', an 'outsider', who was just as fiercely persecuted by the 'old school of the left wing' as by the 'apparatchiks at the party headquarters of the Social Democratic Party in Bonn
', commented the German daily paper 'Die Welt
' at the time.
.
"Who thinks for Schröder?", wrote today's Chairman of the Board of Directors of Axel Springer AG, Mathias Döpfner, in the 'Welt' newspaper in 1999 and stated: "However important Hombach's new job may be – it is as if a builder-owner swaps the architect just after the formwork for the foundation has been laid. Schröder left the thinking to others – namely Hombach. And the latter thought right most of the times. Inconvenient for Social Democrats but competent. Quickly mutated from a youth movement representative to a market-orientated deregulator, he became the most hated enemy of the reactionary left wing of the party."
Despite the over-bureaucratised Brussels environment, which the doer Hombach characterised with 'My Balkan is Brussels', he collected about €4.6 billion for the Balkan countries in his capacity as Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe during the first donor conference in the year 2000.
In July 2002, he was given the 'European Bull' award by the European Taxpayers' Association because as a Special Coordinator he set a very positive example in the sparing use of budgets. "The stability pact administration has been so well developed that it could take on the management of other EU Special Commissioners as well", is how the Welt newspaper cited the CSU
MP and Vice President of the European Parliament
, Ingo Friedrich
.
, Germany
. He very strongly supported the creation of professional journalistic standards for the newspapers and magazines of the WAZ Media Group on the Balkan. In 2003, the WAZ Media Group and the Norwegian publishing company Orkla, were the only western publishing houses that had signed the OSCE guidelines on press freedom in South-East Europe. Hombach believes that freedom, political and economic independence and journalistic quality of the newspapers are the absolute prerequisites for the establishment of democratic structures in the former transformation countries of South-East Europe. Groundbreaking was the agreement on the promotion of freedom of the press, quality journalism and fair working conditions at the WAZ Media Group locations producing newspapers and magazines in South-East Europe signed by Bodo Hombach, Managing Director of the WAZ, and Aidan White, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Essen, Germany, in July 2007.
The essence of press freedom is found in the quality of media and our commitment to quality is very strong", stated IFJ Secretary General Aidan White on the worldwide first agreement between an internationally active publishing house and the EFJ/IFJ. "We now have a structure for cooperation. We look forward to talking to other employers and having new agreements."
Although he is no longer active in the operative political business, the full-blooded politician and successful publishing house director Hombach is still an internationally popular conversation partner for media-political and social issues in Germany
and Europe.
In 2006, Bodo Hombach was presented the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine Westphalia by the Prime Minister of North Rhine Westphalia, Jürgen Rüttgers
.
In April 2008, Bodo Hombach was appointed Deputy Chairman to the Commission for the Future of the State Government of North Rhine Westphalia along with 22 other important persons from politics and society by Prime Minister Juergen Ruettgers. The post of Chairman of the independent Commission was taken over by the German-British sociologist and member of the House of Lords, Prof. Dr. Lord Ralf Dahrendorf
.
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) and now Publishing House Director, was also Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in Schröder's first Cabinet from 1998 to 1999. Hombach then changed jobs and became EU Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In 2002, Bodo Hombach joined the Management Board of the WAZ Media Group, an internationally active German publishing company.
Education and early political career
Bodo Hombach was born in MülheimMülheim
Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...
on the Ruhr, North Rhine Westphalia. After training to become a telecommunications craftsman (apprenticeship from 1967 to 1970 with the Telephone Exchange in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
), Bodo Hombach studied Social Work at the Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
Polytechnic from1973 to 1978. He worked as State Secretary of the Trade Union for Education and Science before he became a Member of the North Rhine Westphalian State Parliament for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1990 to 1998. He was its State Party Chairman from 1979 to 1991 and Economic Spokesman of the SPD State Parliamentary Group and Chairman of the Enquiry Board from 1990 to 1998.
Apart from his political activity, Hombach was Managing Director of the private limited companies, Preussag
Preussag
Preussag AG was a German mining company which later operated in a variety of industries. It was incorporated on October 9, 1923 as Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten-Aktiengesellschaft ....
Handel GmbH (Salzgitter) and Preussag (Salzgitter) International GmbH in Düsseldorf from 1991 to 1998.
In 1998, he joined Clement
Clement
Clement is an English name, a form of the Late Latin name Clemens. Clément is a French form of the same name. Clement or Clément may refer to:- Companies :* Clément , limited British automobile manufacturer or importer....
's Cabinet as State Minister for Economy and SME, Technology and Transport in North Rhine Westphalia.
Hombach co-ordinated several election campaigns of the North Rhine Westphalian Social Democratic Party and the Federal Social Democratic Party. He was regarded as a brilliant election campaign strategist and creator of the slogan 'We in North Rhine Westphalia'. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
chose him to be his personal adviser for his first election campaign.
Federal politics
In October 1998, Gerhard SchröderGerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
appointed him to his Cabinet as Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery
German Chancellery
The German Chancellery is a federal agency serving the executive office of the Chancellor, the head of the German federal government. The chief of the Chancellery holds the rank of either a Secretary of State or a Federal Minister ...
. Hombach ranked among the most powerful and influential politicians not just because of his charisma and high profile, and he was a firm opponent of Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine is a German politician, former German finance minister, former chairman of the Social Democratic Party and former Minister-President of the state of Saarland. Since 2007 he was co-chairman of The Left...
's policy.
He showed his party the way to new groups of voters and was an advocate of the 'new centre ground', a reform-oriented policy to safeguard the country's future viability.
Indicative of this policy was the 'Schröder-Blair
Blair
Blair is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, 'blàr' meaning field or plain. It may be either a first or last name. The following are some notable persons named Blair:- As a surname :* Anthony Blair , American hanged for murder...
Paper' published under the title 'The way ahead for Europe's Social Democrats' and written by Bodo Hombach and his British colleague, today's EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
. 'Bodo Hombach, Germany's trouble-shooter' was The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
's headline about the 'boy wonder from the Ruhr'. "The magazine was surprised that despite his wealth of power, Hombach continued to be a 'lone fighter', an 'outsider', who was just as fiercely persecuted by the 'old school of the left wing' as by the 'apparatchiks at the party headquarters of the Social Democratic Party in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
', commented the German daily paper 'Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
' at the time.
European politics
In 1999, Hombach moved to Brussels, where he took over the position of EU Special Coordinator for the Stability Pact for South Eastern EuropeStability Pact for South Eastern Europe
The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe was an institution aimed at strengthening peace, democracy, human rights and economy in the countries of South Eastern Europe from 1999-2008. It was replaced by the Regional Co-operation Council in February 2008...
.
"Who thinks for Schröder?", wrote today's Chairman of the Board of Directors of Axel Springer AG, Mathias Döpfner, in the 'Welt' newspaper in 1999 and stated: "However important Hombach's new job may be – it is as if a builder-owner swaps the architect just after the formwork for the foundation has been laid. Schröder left the thinking to others – namely Hombach. And the latter thought right most of the times. Inconvenient for Social Democrats but competent. Quickly mutated from a youth movement representative to a market-orientated deregulator, he became the most hated enemy of the reactionary left wing of the party."
Despite the over-bureaucratised Brussels environment, which the doer Hombach characterised with 'My Balkan is Brussels', he collected about €4.6 billion for the Balkan countries in his capacity as Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe during the first donor conference in the year 2000.
In July 2002, he was given the 'European Bull' award by the European Taxpayers' Association because as a Special Coordinator he set a very positive example in the sparing use of budgets. "The stability pact administration has been so well developed that it could take on the management of other EU Special Commissioners as well", is how the Welt newspaper cited the CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
MP and Vice President of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, Ingo Friedrich
Ingo Friedrich
Ingo Friedrich was a German Member of the European Parliament. He was elected on the CSU ticket and sits with the EPP-ED Group.Herr Friedrich holds a University degree in Economics...
.
Publishing management
Since February 2002, Hombach has been Managing Director of the WAZ Media Group. Since then he is - among other things - consequently compaigning for freedom of press and emphasizes primarily its importance for democracy. In this capacity, he is responsible for the reorientation of the publishing company to a multimedia company through the establishment of future-viable structures in the WAZ Media Group based in EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He very strongly supported the creation of professional journalistic standards for the newspapers and magazines of the WAZ Media Group on the Balkan. In 2003, the WAZ Media Group and the Norwegian publishing company Orkla, were the only western publishing houses that had signed the OSCE guidelines on press freedom in South-East Europe. Hombach believes that freedom, political and economic independence and journalistic quality of the newspapers are the absolute prerequisites for the establishment of democratic structures in the former transformation countries of South-East Europe. Groundbreaking was the agreement on the promotion of freedom of the press, quality journalism and fair working conditions at the WAZ Media Group locations producing newspapers and magazines in South-East Europe signed by Bodo Hombach, Managing Director of the WAZ, and Aidan White, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Essen, Germany, in July 2007.
The essence of press freedom is found in the quality of media and our commitment to quality is very strong", stated IFJ Secretary General Aidan White on the worldwide first agreement between an internationally active publishing house and the EFJ/IFJ. "We now have a structure for cooperation. We look forward to talking to other employers and having new agreements."
Although he is no longer active in the operative political business, the full-blooded politician and successful publishing house director Hombach is still an internationally popular conversation partner for media-political and social issues in Germany
Social issues in Germany
The German social market economy was the economic policy ever since the Federal Republic of West Germany was founded in 1948. This policy brought about the economic miracle that rebuilt Germany from scratch after World War II to one of the largest economies in the World...
and Europe.
In 2006, Bodo Hombach was presented the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine Westphalia by the Prime Minister of North Rhine Westphalia, Jürgen Rüttgers
Jürgen Rüttgers
Jürgen Rüttgers is a German politician and former Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, widely known for his views on immigration and the much-discussed phrase "Kinder statt Inder" which was a media interpretation of "Statt Inder an die Computer müssen unsere Kinder an die Computer"...
.
In April 2008, Bodo Hombach was appointed Deputy Chairman to the Commission for the Future of the State Government of North Rhine Westphalia along with 22 other important persons from politics and society by Prime Minister Juergen Ruettgers. The post of Chairman of the independent Commission was taken over by the German-British sociologist and member of the House of Lords, Prof. Dr. Lord Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf, KBE, FBA was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and liberal politician....
.