New German Transport Minister Steffen Bilger faces major infrastructure challenges

Steffen Bilger, most recently managing director of the Union in the Bundestag, becomes Federal Minister of Transport. Dilapidated bridges, tracks and roads await him in his new job.

Published: 1 August 2026, 08:50

The new minister at the handover of office: Steffen Bilger. Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa

From Berlin

By Nanja Boenisch and Anja Krüger

Steffen Bilger beams like someone who has won the jackpot in the lottery. The CDU man from Baden-Württemberg becomes Federal Minister of Transport; most recently he was Parliamentary Managing Director of the Union in the Bundestag. When he enters the ministry on Invalidenstrasse in Berlin around midday on Wednesday, the handover of office with Patrick Schnieder is imminent. On a table to the right of the stage in the ministry, the gifts for the old and new ministers are already laid out. Bilger receives a hard hat and a high-visibility vest – for the construction sites that await him.

"The funds available for transport must reach their destination." — Steffen Bilger, CDU

He takes the Chancellor's mandate very seriously, says Steffen Bilger, 47, upon taking office. "The funds available for transport must reach their destination," the renovation of transport routes must proceed faster. He wants to reconcile infrastructure, people's mobility needs and the climate. However, Bilger has so far advocated for many things that climate experts reject.

He joined the CDU at the age of 17, making a career in the Schüler-Union and Junge Union. Since 2009, he has been directly elected to the Bundestag for the Ludwigsburg constituency. He was a member of the Transport Committee for nine years and from 2018 to 2021 was State Secretary in the Transport Ministry under CSU Minister Andreas Scheuer.

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Bilger, a fully qualified lawyer, is considered close to industry. In his home region of North Württemberg, the CDU maintains close ties with the automotive industry. Bilger advocates for combustion engines and e-fuels. First as a member of parliament, later as State Secretary, he vigorously pushed the prestige project Stuttgart 21 – despite exploding costs and years of delay. His time as State Secretary also saw the failed car toll for foreigners, which cost the state hundreds of millions in compensation.

The Challenges Continue

He does not sweep this under the carpet during the handover of office. The toll was one of many challenges back then, he says, alongside the diesel scandal and the coronavirus pandemic.

The challenges now awaiting Bilger are also great. Many bridges, roads, tracks and waterways are no longer intact. Despite the special fund, too little is being renovated. Deutsche Bahn is struggling with dilapidated tracks and convoluted corporate structures. Predecessor Schnieder also delivered little of substance for cycling. The automotive industry needs to be transformed, road transport further electrified, and car traffic reduced.

Does Bilger see it that way too? He does not want to dictate to people "how they have to get around," he says on Wednesday. But he announces "far-reaching decisions."

He was only the Chancellor's second choice. After Friedrich Merz surprisingly questioned Patrick Schnieder, but his preferred candidate Fritz Güntzler declined the post, the Chancellor won over Bilger. "I'm really glad it turned out to be you," Schnieder says in his last speech as minister, addressing Bilger. It is evident how hard the departure is for him. It is still not exactly known why Merz ousted him. Nevertheless, throughout the entire handover, until he gets into his official car, it is evident how much Bilger is looking forward to it.

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