German Transport Minister Schnieder skips cabinet to avoid Chancellor Merz

Patrick Schnieder (CDU), previously Federal Minister for Transport, took the oath of office in May 2025 in the presence of Friedrich Merz (CDU). Now he apparently has little left to say to the Chancellor. Source: Michael Kappeler/dpa

Is the final parting shot coming after the dismissal? According to a report, Patrick Schnieder is refusing Chancellor Merz a final encounter in the cabinet. Injured dignity is being discussed. A political scientist sees the reputation of the federal government endangered by Merz's behavior.

According to a report, outgoing Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) will not attend the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The 58-year-old no longer wishes to encounter Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), the Bild newspaper reported. Schnieder is to be represented by Minister of State Ulrich Lange (CSU).

The background is the bumpy dismissal of Schnieder as Transport Minister. Merz had informed Schnieder last Thursday of his intention to dismiss him. However, due to the short-term cancellation of Bundestag member Fritz Güntzler, who was intended as his successor, the decision was not communicated for three days.

According to the newspaper, Schnieder learned of the difficulties in finding a successor from the media and felt publicly humiliated as a result. On Sunday, Schnieder reportedly asked the Chancellor to dismiss him in order to end the "undignified situation."

Official Duties Continued Until Tuesday

According to Bild, Schnieder continued to fulfill his official duties until Tuesday. He also intends to attend other appointments surrounding the ministerial change on Wednesday. For example, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to hand him the dismissal certificate. Afterwards, the official handover of office to his successor Steffen Bilger is planned. Schnieder is apparently only skipping the cabinet meeting, where he would encounter Merz.

According to the report, Schnieder and his successor Bilger had already met on Tuesday evening for a confidential discussion at the Transport Ministry to discuss the details of the handover of office. Until the meeting, Schnieder is said to have processed mail and held discussions with staff.

Political Fallout

After Schnieder's dismissal, the state parliamentary group wrote a letter to Merz and canceled a planned meeting, citing that a personal exchange requires a minimum of mutual trust and appreciation. The letter went viral. Minister-President Gordon Schnieder is the brother of the ousted Transport Minister.

Merz Seeks to Meet CDU State Parliamentary Group in September

Merz then said: "I assume that the waves will have calmed down somewhat by September and that I will of course see the state parliamentary group from Rhineland-Palatinate then." This statement certainly did not ease the relationship, said political scientist Uwe Jun.

Jun advised Merz to reach out to the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU parliamentary group. "The relationship is clearly strained," he told the German Press Agency in Mainz.

"The relationship between Merz and Minister-President Gordon Schnieder is certainly not the best at the moment," Jun continued. "It is hardly conceivable that the parliamentary group's letter to Merz was sent without coordination with Gordon Schnieder. He is also part of the parliamentary group." Until his election as Minister-President, he was the parliamentary group leader.

"The handling of Patrick Schnieder has once again revealed the Chancellor's communication deficits," said Jun. "We still don't know exactly what the Federal Chancellor accuses Patrick Schnieder of."