The first cabinet reshuffle of the traffic light government has led to a change at the top of the family ministry.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier handed over the certificate of dismissal to the resigned Minister for Family Affairs Anne Spiegel (Greens) and the certificate of appointment to Lisa Paus (Greens).
The statement, which she made the day before she resigned, "made it clear to many people in our country that the responsibility for a high political office and the responsibility for one's own family are often difficult and in some situations impossible to reconcile ' Steinmeier said to Anne Spiegel.
Heike Schmoll
Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.
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She admitted mistakes she made as Minister of the Environment in Rhineland-Palatinate after the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, and she "took the difficult step, took the consequences" and resigned as Federal Minister, for which she deserves respect.
Steinmeier considers it important that politics and society continue to discuss how gainful employment and care work can be better reconciled.
And it is important to lead them in a social climate "in which mothers and fathers can also talk about difficulties and excessive demands without having to fear being labeled as weak or failed".
The expectation that work and family life must always, everywhere and for everyone be compatible or made compatible creates unnecessary pressure where forbearance, compassion and pragmatic solutions are required.
Steinmeier wished Spiegel that she could gain some distance "in order to draw new strength and find a good path for herself together".
The successor Lisa Paus has always fought for a fairer society, whether it was about tax policy, affordable housing or the concerns of single parents.
"In your new office, you now face the task of achieving more justice," said Steinmeier.