Stefan Birkner

Stefan Birkner (born 12 April 1973 in Munsterlingen, Switzerland ) is a German politician ( FDP). From January 18 2012 to February 19, 2013, he served as Minister of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change before he was there in February 2008 Secretary of State under Prime Minister Hans -Heinrich Sander.

Life

Stefan Birkner grew up in Garbsen. He attended the local primary school, the orientation stage Berenbostel and the Scholl -Gymnasium Berenbostel. After graduating from high school in 1992 and the Civil Service with the social and Diakoniestation Garbsen he studied law at the University of Hannover and was founded in 2002 at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt ( Oder) with a thesis on the rights of passage of commercial and war vessels through the Turkish straits doctorate. 2001 to 2003 he completed his legal clerkship at the Higher Regional Court of Celle. After his second state examination 2003 he was the personal assistant of Lower Saxony Environment Minister Sander. From autumn 2003 to November 2005 and from April 2007 to February 2008 he worked as a prosecutor and as a judge, most recently at the District Court in Neustadt am Ruebenberge. In the meantime, he was seconded to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Environment and headed the office of the Minister.

Since 1991, Birkner is a member of the FDP. From 2004 to 2008 he was Secretary General of the FDP national association of Lower Saxony, since 2007 Chairman of the FDP Region Association Hanover. In September 2011, he followed Philipp Rösler by the Office of the FDP chairman.

From 2006 to 2008, Birkner involved in local politics in the city council of Garbsen. In the parliament of Lower Saxony, he was elected in 2008, but put both his council and his seat in Parliament in February 2008 down, since he had been appointed Secretary of State.

In October 2011, the then Minister of the Environment of Lower Saxony Sander announced that he would resign on January 17, 2012 as a minister. On January 18, 2012 Birkner was sworn in before parliament as his successor.

In the state elections in 2013 the CDU and FDP lost its governing majority in the SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens. Although Birkner was the top candidate of the FDP, he took over after the election, not the Chairman of the Group, but left this task to the previous FDP parliamentary leader Christian Dürr.

Stefan Birkner is married and has two children. The Schleswig-Holstein Environment Minister Robert Habeck ( GREEN ) is his brother in law.