Matthias Wissmann

Matthias Wissmann (born 15 April 1949) is the president of the Verband der Automobilindustrie.

Since 1999 he has been a partner with the law firm WilmerHale.

Early life and education

Wissmann was born in Ludwigsburg on 15 April 1949. He studied law at the University of Bonn. He became a member of K.D.St.V. Alania Bonn, a catholic student fraternity that is member of the Cartellverband.

Political career

Since 1965, Wissmann has been active in politics. He became a member of the political youth organisation Junge Union and in 1968 of the CDU. From 1973 to 1983 Wissmann was federal leader of the Junge Union. From 1998 to 2000 he was federal treasurer of the CDU.

Member of the Bundestag

In 1976, Wissmann was elected to the German Bundestag for the Christlich-Demokratische Union. He laid down his parliamentary mandate by 31 May 2007 to become the president of the German automobile industry association, VDA, from 1 June 2007. In 1981, he was chairman of the commission Jugendprotest im demokratischen Staat (youth protest in the democratic state) until 1983. In the years 1983 - 1993 he was the spokesman of his parliamentary party for economy. From 1998 to 2002 Wissmann was the chairman of the parliamentary committee for economy and technology. Since 2002 he was the chairman of the parliamentary committee for the affairs of the European Union.

Minister

On 21 January 1993, Wissmann became federal minister of research and technology in the government of chancellor Helmut Kohl. Only four month later, after the resignation of Günther Krause, he became federal minister of transport on 13 May 1993. Wissmann left the government after his party lost the federal elections on 27 September 1998.

External links

• Homepage of Matthias Wissmann