View source for Wolfgang Schäuble

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Wolfgang Schäuble
|image        = 4th EPP St Géry Dialogue; Jan. 2014 (12189287345) (cropped).jpg
|office       = [[President of the Bundestag]]
|term_start   = 24 October 2017
|term_end     = 
|predecessor  = [[Norbert Lammert]]
|successor    = 
|office1      = [[Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany)|Federal Minister of Finance]]
|chancellor1  = [[Angela Merkel]]
|term_start1  = 28 October 2009
|term_end1    = 24 October 2017
|predecessor1 = [[Peer Steinbrück]]
|successor1   = [[Peter Altmaier]] {{small|(Acting)}}
|office2      = [[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)|Federal Minister of the Interior]]
|chancellor2  = [[Angela Merkel]]
|term_start2  = 22 November 2005
|term_end2    = 27 October 2009
|predecessor2 = [[Otto Schily]]
|successor2   = [[Thomas de Maizière]]
|chancellor3  = [[Helmut Kohl]]
|term_start3  = 21 April 1989
|term_end3    = 26 November 1991
|predecessor3 = [[Friedrich Zimmermann]]
|successor3   = [[Rudolf Seiters]]
|office6      = [[German Chancellery Chief of Staff|Chief of Staff of the Chancellery]]<br>[[Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany|Minister for Special Affairs]]
|chancellor6  = [[Helmut Kohl]]
|term_start6  = 15 November 1984
|term_end6    = 21 April 1989
|predecessor6 = [[Waldemar Schreckenberger]]
|successor6   = [[Rudolf Seiters]]
|office7      = Leader of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
|term_start7  = 7 November 1998
|term_end7    = 16 February 2000
|predecessor7 = [[Helmut Kohl]]
|successor7   = [[Angela Merkel]]
|office8      = Chair of the [[CDU/CSU]] in the [[Bundestag]]
|term_start8  = 25 November 1991
|term_end8    = 29 February 2000
|predecessor8 = [[Alfred Dregger]]
|successor8   = [[Friedrich Merz]]
|office9      = Member of the [[Bundestag]]
|term_start9  = 19 November 1972
|term_end9    = 
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1942|9|18|df=y}}
|birth_place  = [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
|spouse       = Ingeborg Schäuble {{small|(1969–present)}}
|children     = 4
|alma_mater   = [[University of Freiburg]]<br>[[University of Hamburg]]
|website      = {{url|wolfgang-schaeuble.de|Official website}}
}}
'''Wolfgang Schäuble''' ({{IPA-de|ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʃɔʏblə|}} born 18 September 1942) is a German lawyer and politician of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU) whose political career has spanned more than four decades. He is one of the most experienced and longest serving politicians in German history and since 2017 has been the [[President of the Bundestag]].

Born in [[Freiburg Im Breisgau]] in 1942,<ref name="Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble">Quentin Peel (12 March 2010), [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/440ac700-2e0d-11df-b85c-00144feabdc0.html Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref> Schäuble studied at both the [[University of Freiburg]] and the [[University of Hamburg]] and subsequently began a career in law at the district court of [[Offenburg]] in 1978. His political career began in 1969 as a member of the [[Junge Union]], the youth division of the CDU; in 1972, Schäuble was elected to the [[Bundestag]] by means of winning an electorate seat, where, as of 2017, he continues to serve to this day. Schäuble’s Ministerial career began in 1984 when he was appointed Minister for Special Affairs by [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] [[Helmut Kohl]]. In a 1989 reshuffle, Schäuble was made [[Minister of the Interior (Germany)|Minister of the Interior]], where he led negotiations for [[German reunification|reunification]] on the behalf of the [[Federal Republic of Germany]].<ref name=jta>{{cite web|title=Unification Treaty is Signed Without Reference to Nazi Era |url=http://www.jta.org/1990/09/04/archive/unification-treaty-is-signed-without-reference-to-nazi-era|work=JTA|accessdate=5 September 2013|location=Bonn|date=4 September 1990}}</ref><ref name="Focus">{{cite news|title=Günther Krause: Wir machen aus Hausmüll Erdöl|url=http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/20-jahre-wende/tid-20024/guenther-krause-wir-machen-aus-hausmuell-erdoel_aid_557657.html|accessdate=5 September 2013|work=Focus}}</ref> During his tenure as Minister of the Interior, Schäuble was one of the most popular politicians in Germany and was regularly mentioned as a possible future Chancellor,<ref name="Kinzer">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/12/world/bonn-journal-kohl-s-protege-turns-into-kohl-s-challenger.html|work=The New York Times|title=Bonn Journal; Kohl's Protege Turns Into Kohl's Challenger|first=Stephen|last=Kinzer|date=12 October 1992}}</ref> though he faced occasional criticism from [[civil rights activist]]s for his [[law and order (politics)|law and order]] policies.<ref name="slashdot.org">{{cite web|url=http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/19/2149231|title=German Linux Community Boycotting LinuxTag - Slashdot|work=slashdot.org}}</ref>

After the defeat of the CDU/CSU in the 1998 federal election, Schäuble succeeded his mentor Helmut Kohl as Chairman of the CDU, a position he held for less than two years before resigning his post in the aftermath of the [[CDU donations scandal|1999 party financing scandal]].<ref name="wsj.com">Cecilie Rohwedder (17 February 2000), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB950707698867734676 Schaeuble Resigns From CDU Posts In Hopes of Reducing Party Scandal] ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> In 2005, Schäuble again became Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet of Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]], in 2009 [[Minister of Finance (Germany)|Minister of Finance]],<ref name="Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble"/> a position he remained in for almost eight years. Described in this capacity as “Germany's second most powerful person” after Merkel,<ref name="Marcus Walker 2014">Anton Troianovski and Marcus Walker (23 May 2014), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303480304579579753814951472 Q&A With German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble] ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> he took a hard-line towards Southern European countries during the [[eurozone crisis]]<ref name="nytimes.com">Jack Ewing (12 December 2010), [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/global/13iht-eurozone13.html Germany Signals Support for Euro-Zone Members] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> and rejected calls from the [[International Monetary Fund]] to give [[Greece]] more time to rein in deficits.<ref name="Nicholas Kulish 2012">Alan Cowell and Nicholas Kulish (12 October 2012), [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html Nobel Committee Gives Peace Prize to European Union] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> A proponent of [[austerity]] policies, Schäuble’s 2014 budget allowed Germany to not take on any new debt for the first time since 1969,<ref name="Paul Taylor 2013">Paul Taylor (4 March 2013), [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/business/global/jolt-from-italys-elections-may-not-be-enough.html Jolt From Italy's Elections May Not Be Enough] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref><ref name="reuters.com">Erik Kirschbaum and Michelle Martin (9 September 2014), [https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/us-germany-economy-budget-idUSKBN0H40MX20140909 No new debt for Germany in 2015, first time since 1969] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> which is generally known as ''Black Zero'' in CDU election campaigns.

On 27 September 2017 the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag announced Schäuble’s nomination as [[President of the Bundestag]]<ref>Emma Anderson (September 27, 2017), [http://www.politico.eu/article/schauble-to-be-nominated-as-german-parliament-president-report/ Schäuble to be nominated as German parliament president: report] ''[[Politico Europe]]''</ref> He was elected to that position on 24 October 2017.

== Early life and education ==
[[File:KAS-Schäuble, Wolfgang-Bild-26779-2.jpg|thumb|right|Schäuble in early years]]
Schäuble was born in [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], as the son of a tax finance advisor. He is the middle brother of three.<ref name="Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble"/> After completing his ''[[Abitur]]'' in 1961, Schäuble studied law and economics at the [[University of Freiburg]] and the [[University of Hamburg]], which he completed in 1966 and 1970 by passing the First and Second State Examinations respectively, becoming a fully qualified lawyer.

In 1971 Schäuble obtained his doctorate in law, with a dissertation called "The public accountant's professional legal situation within accountancy firms".

== Early career ==
Schäuble entered the tax administration of the state of [[Baden-Württemberg]], eventually becoming a senior administration officer in the Freiburg tax office. Subsequently he became a practising registered lawyer at the district court of [[Offenburg]], from 1978 to 1984.

== Political career ==
Schäuble's political career began in 1961 with him joining the ''[[Junge Union]]'' ("Young Union"), the youth division of the CDU. During his studies he served as chairman of the ''[[Ring Christlich-Demokratischer Studenten]]'' (Association of Christian-Democrat Students, RCDS), in Hamburg and Freiburg. In 1965 Schäuble also became a member of the CDU. From 1969 to 1972, he was district chairman of the Junge Union in [[South Baden]]. From 1976 to 1984, he served as chairman of the CDU National Committee for Sport.

[[File:Angela Merkel, Wolfgang Schäuble (Tobias Koch) 2.jpg|thumb|right|Wolfgang Schäuble and [[Angela Merkel]] in the [[German Bundestag]], 2014]]

=== Member of Parliament, 1972 to present ===
Schäuble has been a member of the [[Bundestag]] since [[West German federal election, 1972|1972]]. From 1981 to 1984 he was parliamentary [[Whip (politics)|whip]] of the [[CDU/CSU]] group and in November 1991 he became its chairman. Schäuble gave up this position in 2000 as another consequence of the financing scandal. Between October 2002 and 2005, Schäuble served as the parliamentary group’s deputy chairman, under the leadership of [[Angela Merkel]].

Schäuble has always been elected to the Bundestag by means of winning an electorate seat, rather than through a list placing in Germany's system of [[Mixed-member proportional representation|proportional political representation]].

[[File:Bundesarchiv B 422 Bild-0035, Bonn, Wolfgang Schäuble bei BZS.jpg|thumb|right|1989: Wolfgang Schäuble (front centre), German Federal Minister of the Interior]]

=== Federal Minister for Special Affairs, 1984–1989 ===
On 15 November 1984 Schäuble was appointed as [[Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany|Minister for Special Affairs]] and head of the [[German Chancellery|Chancellery]] by Chancellor Helmut Kohl. When in 1986 Soviet press belabored Kohl for having, in a magazine interview, made a comparison between the propaganda skills of [[Mikhail S. Gorbachev]] and [[Joseph Goebbels]], Schäuble was reported to have counseled the Chancellor against writing Gorbachev an apology for the remark, saying it would be misunderstood as a sign of weakness.<ref>James M. Markham (14 December 1986), [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/world/kohl-s-party-eyes-on-vote-shifts-to-right.html Kohl's Party, Eyes on Vote, Shifts to Right] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>

In his capacity as Minister for Special Affairs, Schäuble was put in charge of the preparations for the first official state visit of [[Erich Honecker]], [[Leaders of East Germany|Chairman]] of the [[Staatsrat|State Council]] of the [[German Democratic Republic]] (GDR), in 1987. By that time, he was widely considered to be one of Kohl's closest advisers.<ref name="Schmemann-1990">{{cite web |last=Schmemann |first=Serge |date=13 October 1990 |title=German Interior Minister Is Shot at Political Rally |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/13/world/german-interior-minister-is-shot-at-political-rally.html |accessdate=31 October 2012}}</ref>

=== Federal Minister of the Interior, 1989–1991 ===
In a cabinet reshuffle Schäuble was made [[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)|Minister of the Interior]] on 21 April 1989. In this role he also led the negotiations on behalf of the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] for [[Reunification of Germany|reunification]] with the [[East Germany|GDR]] in 1990. He and East German State Secretary [[Günther Krause]] signed the Unification Treaty on 31 August 1990.<ref name="jta"/><ref name="Focus"/> In a speech to parliament in 1991, Schäuble clinched the argument in favour of moving the German capital from [[Bonn]] to Berlin.<ref name=IT>Ian Traynor (20 September 2012), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/20/wolfgang-schauble-70-save-eurozone Germany's Wolfgang Schäuble at 70 – still at heart of efforts to save eurozone] ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref>

In the 1990s Schäuble was one of the most popular politicians in Germany{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} and there was constant speculation that he would replace Kohl as Chancellor, whose popularity was declining.<ref name="Kinzer"/> In November 1991, Schäuble became the Christian Democrats' parliamentary floor leader, replacing 71-year-old [[Alfred Dregger]], in a move that made him Kohl's likely heir-apparent.<ref>Tyler Marshall (16 November 1991), [http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-16/news/mn-1409_1_social-democrats Social Democrats Tire of Losses, Try New Faces] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref> In 1997 Helmut Kohl stated that Schäuble was his desired candidate to succeed him, but he did not want to hand over power until 2002 when the European monetary union would be completed with the introduction of the euro.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} However, as the CDU/CSU lost the 1998 election, Schäuble never became Chancellor.

After [[Eberhard Diepgen]] was voted out as mayor of Berlin, Schäuble was in talks to be the top candidate for the [[Berlin state election, 2001|early election on 21 October 2001]], but was rejected by the Berlin branch of the CDU in favour of [[Frank Steffel]].

Some quarters of the CDU and CSU wanted to put Schäuble forward as their candidate for the office of German President, the largely ceremonial head of state, at the beginning of March 2004, due to his extensive political experience. In spite of support from the Premiers of [[Bavaria]] ([[Edmund Stoiber]] (CSU)) and [[Hesse]] ([[Roland Koch]] (CDU)),{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} Schäuble did not receive the party's nomination in the end because CDU leader Angela Merkel, other CDU politicians and the liberal [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]] party spoke out against him. This was because the election contributions scandal involving Schäuble that first came to light in late 1999 had never been entirely resolved.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

===CDU Party Chairman, 1998–2000===
After the CDU was defeated in the [[German federal election, 1998|1998 federal election]], Schäuble succeeded [[Helmut Kohl]] as chairman of the CDU. Only 15 months later,<ref name="wsj.com"/> he resigned from this post as well as from the leadership of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in 2000 in the wake of the [[1999 CDU contributions scandal|party financing scandal]], over the acceptance of cash donation over DM 100,000 contributed by the arms dealer and lobbyist [[Karlheinz Schreiber]] back in 1994.<ref>[http://www.dw.de/the-scandal-that-rocked-the-government-of-helmut-kohl/a-5137950 "The scandal that rocked the government of Helmut Kohl"], ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'' (18 January 2010): "Schaeuble, Germany's current finance minister, insisted he had forwarded the money to the CDU's then treasurer, Brigitte Baumeister, and had nothing to do with the illegal booking of the money. Baumeister rejected the accusation, saying she had handed over the money to Schaeuble in an envelope. The allegations were never proved in court but the affair cost Schaueble his job."</ref> Schäuble's resignation initiated a generational change among the Christian Democrats, with [[Angela Merkel]] taking over as CDU leader and [[Friedrich Merz]] as chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.<ref name="wsj.com"/><ref name="spiegel.de">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/cdu-spendenaffaere-schaeuble-war-mittaeter-a-59401.html|title=CDU-Spendenaffäre: "Schäuble war Mittäter"|author=SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany|date=11 January 2000|work=SPIEGEL ONLINE}}</ref><ref name="spiegel.de"/><ref>http://www.newsweek.com/scandal-sinks-schauble-162255</ref>

=== Federal Minister of the Interior, 2005–2009 ===
Ahead of the [[German federal election, 2005|2005 elections]], [[Angela Merkel]] included Schäuble in her [[shadow cabinet]] for the Christian Democrats’ campaign to unseat incumbent [[Gerhard Schröder]] as chancellor. During the campaign, Schäuble served as Merkel's expert for security and foreign policy.<ref>Charles Hawley (20 October 2005), [http://www.spiegel.de/international/letter-from-berlin-taming-the-lions-with-angela-merkel-a-380786.html Letter from Berlin: Taming the Lions with Angela Merkel] ''[[Spiegel Online]]''.</ref>

Following the elections, Schäuble was mentioned as potential candidate for the office of [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Federal Minister of Defense]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/10/AR2005101000888.html Ministry Distribution in German Coalition Pact] ''[[Washington Post]]'', 10 October 2005.</ref> In the subsequent negotiations to form a [[coalition government]], however, he led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on interior policy; his co-chair from the [[SPD]] was [[Brigitte Zypries]].<ref>Timot Szent-Ivanyi (25 October 2005), [http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/koalitionsverhandlungen---union-und-spd-haben-bei-der-zweiten-runde-die-finanzfragen-in-angriff-genommen--denn-die-not-ist-gross---auch-die-der-sozialkassen--gutverdiener-sollen-hoehere-kassenbeitraege-zahlen,10810590,10330710.html Gutverdiener sollen höhere Kassenbeiträge zahlen] ''[[Berliner Zeitung]]''.</ref> Once the new government was formed, Schäuble once again became Minister of the Interior, this time in the [[Grand coalition|Grand Coalition]] under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Between 2007 and 2009, Schäuble was one of 32 members of the [[Federalism commission (Germany)|Second Commission on the modernization of the federal state]], which had been established to reform the division of powers between federal and state authorities in Germany.

=== Federal Minister of Finance, 2009–2017 ===
Following the [[German federal election, 2009|2009 federal election]], Schäuble, by then one of Germany's most seasoned politicians,<ref>Jack Ewing (24 January 2014), [https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/germanys-finance-minister-praises-progress-made-in-crisis-countries Germany's Finance Minister Praises Progress Made in Crisis Countries] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> became [[Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany)|Minister of Finance]] in October 2009. Then aged 67, he was the oldest man in the cabinet and the longest-serving member of the parliament<ref name="Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble"/> in the history of the Federal Republic.<ref name=IT /> He was also one of seven conservative ministers in Merkel's outgoing government who remained in power.<ref>Sarah Marsh (25 October 2009), [http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/10/25/uk-germany-coalition-idUKTRE59O15320091025 New Merkel minister defends tax cuts after attacks], [[Reuters]].</ref> By 2014, the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' called Schäuble "Germany's second most powerful person after Chancellor Angela Merkel."<ref name="Marcus Walker 2014"/>

During his time in office, Schäuble has widely been regarded the most vocal advocate in the government of European integration,<ref>Alison Smale (14 October 2014), [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/world/europe/laurent-fabius-france-german-cabinet-meeting.html French Minister Attends German Cabinet Session] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> and a passionate proponent of co-operation with France.<ref name="Wolfgang Schäuble, a profile">Quentin Peel (5 December 2010), [http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5b225764-00a3-11e0-aa29-00144feab49a.html Wolfgang Schäuble, a profile] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref> Along with Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, he has often taken a hard line toward some Southern European countries during the [[eurozone crisis]].<ref name="nytimes.com"/> In 2012, Schäuble rejected calls from the chairwoman of the [[International Monetary Fund]], [[Christine Lagarde]], to give Greece more time to make additional spending cuts to rein in deficits.<ref name="Nicholas Kulish 2012"/> That same year, President [[Karolos Papoulias]] of Greece accused Schäuble of insulting his nation.<ref name=NYT20120317>Stephen Castle and Jack Ewing (16 March 2012), [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/business/global/merkel-presses-schauble-to-head-eurogroup.html "The Derby for 'Mr. Euro,' and Lots of Other Top Jobs, Is Just Getting Started"], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> In October 2013, Schäuble was accused by the former Portuguese [[Prime Minister of Portugal|Prime Minister]], [[José Sócrates]], for regularly placing news in the media against Portugal during the eurozone crisis prior to the Portuguese bailout; Sócrates called him a "Sly Minister of Finance".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://expresso.sapo.pt/alemanha-reage-a-declaracoes-de-socrates=f836967#ixzz2iSYHTDSA|work=Expresso|title=Alemanha reage a declarações de Sócrates|first=Luísa|last=Meireles|date=22 October 2013}}</ref>

A leading advocate of austerity during the eurozone crisis<ref name="Paul Taylor 2013"/>— Schäuble in 2014 pushed through a national budget of 299 billion euros that allowed Germany not to take on any new debt for the first time since 1969.<ref name="reuters.com"/> In the first half of 2016, he recorded a 18.5 billion euros budget surplus.<ref>Stefan Wagstyl (August 24, 2016), [http://www.ft.com/fastft/2016/08/24/german-budget-surplus-swells-to-e18-5bn German budget surplus swells to €18.5bn] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref> He has been described variously as the "personification of fiscal discipline"<ref>Landon Thomas Jr. and Jack Ewing (12 February 2015), [https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/greek-debt-standoff-awaits-a-decisive-move/ Greek Debt Standoff Awaits a Decisive Move] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> and "Europe's foremost ayatollah of austerity"<ref>{{Cite journal |author = Charlemagne |title = Europe's fault lines | url = https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21642209-even-sorting-out-greeces-debts-may-not-be-enough-repair-euro-europes-fault-lines | journal = [[The Economist]] | volume = 414 | issue = 7–13 February 2015 | page = 33 }}</ref>—Schäuble's reputation for tough control of spending has been helped by Germany's rapid recovery from recession but he has repeatedly rebuffed calls from government supporters for vote-winning tax cuts.<ref name="Wolfgang Schäuble, a profile"/> Throughout his tenure, he stood by his position that structural reforms such as overhauling labor markets in Europe are the way out of a low-growth spiral.<ref>Patrick Donahue and Birgit Jennen (21 October 2014), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-21/schaeuble-says-germany-s-balanced-budget-goal-is-no-fetish-.html "Schaeuble Says Germany's Balanced-Budget Goal Is No 'Fetish'"], [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]].</ref> In 2013, for example, Schäuble and [[Vítor Gaspar]], his counterpart in Portugal, announced a plan to use the German state development bank [[KfW]] to help set up a financial institution to assist Portuguese under age 25 in getting jobs or job training.<ref>Melissa Eddy (22 May 2013), [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/business/global/germany-works-to-curb-eu-youth-unemployment.html Germany Works to Ease High Youth Unemployment] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>

In 2012, following the resignation of [[Jean-Claude Juncker]] as president of the 17 euro zone finance ministers, known as the [[Eurogroup]], suggestions soon gathered pace that Chancellor Angela Merkel was pressing for Schäuble to take up the position;<ref name=IT /><ref name=NYT20120317 /> the job later went to [[Jeroen Dijsselbloem]] instead.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government following the [[German federal election, 2013|2013 federal elections]], he led the CDU/CSU delegation in the financial policy working group; his co-chair from the SPD was the [[Mayor of Hamburg]], [[Olaf Scholz]].<ref>Patrick Donahue (28 October 2013), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-27/merkel-enters-concrete-spd-talks-as-finance-post-looms Merkel Enters Concrete SPD Talks as Finance Post Looms] ''[[Bloomberg News]]''.</ref> Between 2014 and 2015, Schäuble and Scholz again led the negotiations on overhauling the so-called [[Taxation in Germany|solidarity surcharge]] on income and corporate tax (''Solidaritätszuschlag'') and reorganizing financial relations between Germany's federal government and the federal states.<ref>Rainer Buergin (4 March 2015), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-04/merkel-weighs-end-of-reunification-tax-for-east-germany Merkel Weighs End of Reunification Tax for East Germany] ''[[Bloomberg Business]]''.</ref>

In a letter to the [[Juncker Commission|European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs]] [[Pierre Moscovici]] in late 2014, Schäuble and the finance ministers of the [[eurozone]]'s other big economies – [[Michel Sapin]] of [[France]] and [[Pier Carlo Padoan]] of [[Italy]] – urged the [[European Commission]] to draw up EU-wide laws to curb corporate [[tax avoidance]] and prevent member states from offering lower taxes to attract investors, calling for a comprehensive anti-BEPS ([[Base Erosion and Profit Shifting]]) [[Directive (European Union)|directive]] for member states to adopt by the end of 2015.<ref>Gernot Heller (1 December 2014), [https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/01/us-eurozone-tax-letter-idUSKCN0JF2WN20141201 Germany, France and Italy urge EU to write common corporate tax laws] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

On Schäuble's initiative, Germany became a founding member of the [[Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank]].<ref>Matthias Sobolewski (17 March 2015), [https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/17/us-europe-asia-bank-germany-idUSKBN0MD1BA20150317 Schaeuble confirms Germany is a founding member of China-led AIIB bank] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> At a 2015 meeting of the G-20 major economies, he called for better integration of [[Islamic finance]] into the international financial system.<ref>Gernot Heller (5 September 2015), [https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/05/g20-turkey-islamicfinance-idUSL1N11B0BJ20150905 G20-Germany urges more Islamic finance integration globally] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

When [[President of Germany|Federal President]] [[Joachim Gauck]] announced in June 2016 that he would not stand for reelection, Schäuble was soon mentioned by German and international media as likely successor;<ref>Stefan Wagstyl (June 6, 2016), [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f96e18d4-2bd3-11e6-bf8d-26294ad519fc.html German presidency jostling begins as Gauck prepares to quit] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref><ref>Kate Connolly (June 6, 2016), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/06/german-president-joachim-gauck-merkel-east-german-civil-rights Headache for Angela Merkel as German president Joachim Gauck steps down] ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref> the post eventually went to [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] instead.

From late 2016, Schäuble served as member of the German government's cabinet committee on [[Brexit]] at which ministers discuss organizational and structural issues related to the [[United Kingdom]]'s departure from the [[European Union]].<ref>Joseph Nasr (January 13, 2017), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-germany-idUSKBN14X15Y Merkel to chair first Brexit committee meeting next week] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

===President of the German Parliament, 2017–present===
Following the [[German federal election, 2017|2017 elections]], Schäuble was nominated by the majority [[CDU/CSU]] parliamentary group as the next president of the Bundestag, succeeding [[Norbert Lammert]].<ref>Emma Anderson (September 27, 2017), [http://www.politico.eu/article/schauble-to-be-nominated-as-german-parliament-president-report/ Schäuble to be nominated as German parliament president: report] ''[[Politico Europe]]''.</ref> In his capacity as president, he chairs the parliament’s [[Council of Elders of the Bundestag (Germany)|Council of Elders]], which – among other duties – determines daily legislative agenda items and assigning committee chairpersons based on party representation.

== Political views ==

=== European integration ===
Echoing earlier proposals made by [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Édouard Balladur]] of France, Schäuble and fellow lawmaker Karl Lamers in 1994 urged the European Union to adopt a policy they called "[[Multi-speed Europe|variable geometry]]" under which five countries most committed to integration – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg – would proceed swiftly toward monetary union, joint foreign and defense policies and other forms of integration.<ref>[[Stephen Kinzer]] (4 September 1994), [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/04/world/german-plan-for-phased-union-of-europe-provokes-controversy.html German Plan for Phased Union of Europe Provokes Controversy] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> In 2014, both reiterated their ideas in an op-ed for the ''[[Financial Times]]'', renewing their call for a core group of European Union countries to move ahead faster with economic and political integration.<ref>Paul Taylor (1 September 2014), [http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/09/01/uk-eu-schaeuble-idUKKBN0GW1YK20140901 Twenty years on, Schaeuble pleads again for core Europe] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> Countries such as Britain should put forward proposals for returning some competences to national governments, they said, while "the EU should focus mainly on the following areas: a fair and open internal market; trade; currency and financial markets; climate, environment and energy; and foreign and security policy."<ref name="Lamers-Schäuble-2014"/> Also, they proposed the establishment of a European budget commissioner with powers to reject national budgets if they do not correspond to the jointly agreed rules and a "eurozone parliament" comprising the MEPs of eurozone countries to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of decisions affecting the single currency bloc.<ref name="Lamers-Schäuble-2014">Karl Lamers and Wolfgang Schäuble (31 August 2014), [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5565f134-2d48-11e4-8105-00144feabdc0.html More integration is still the right goal for Europe] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref>

On 21 November 2011 Schäuble said the euro would emerge stronger from the current crisis, and ultimately all non-members would be convinced to sign up. He said Great Britain would eventually join the euro (but that he respected Britain's decision to keep the pound).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Waterfield |first1=Bruno |last2=Hope |first2=Christopher |date=18 Nov 2011 |title=Britain 'will join euro before long', says German finance minister |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8900799/Britain-will-join-euro-before-long-says-German-finance-minister.html |accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> On a British exit from the EU, Schäuble argued in 2014 that Britain's EU membership was particularly important for Germany as both countries share a market-oriented reform approach in many economic and regulatory questions.<ref>Stefan Wagstyl and Jeevan Vasagar (30 June 2014), [http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0df74c62-ff99-11e3-8a35-00144feab7de.html German finance minister Schäuble pledges to keep UK in Europe] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref>

In 2015, then-[[Ministry of Finance (Greece)|Finance Minister]] [[Yanis Varoufakis]] of Greece called Schäuble "the intellectual force behind the project of [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union|European Monetary Union]]."<ref>Jack Ewing and James Kanter (4 February 2015), [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/business/tsiprasis-optimistic-for-a-solution-to-bailout-terms-for-greece.html E.C.B. Move Is Setback to Greece on Debt Relief] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>

In 2015, Schäuble raised the idea of stripping the European Commission of regulatory powers, expressing concern over its neutrality and willingness to fulfil its role as "guardian of the treaties", in particular with regard to the enforcement of rules on budget discipline; unnamed diplomats were cited by Reuters as stating that this was not incompatible with his reputation as "a veteran pro-European who has long favored turning the Commission over time into a European 'government'".<ref>{{Cite news|first=Hans-Edzard|last=Busemann|date=30 July 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/30/us-europe-commission-germany-idUSKCN0Q41DW20150730 |title=Germany's Schaeuble wants to rebalance EU Commission's role|accessdate=15 August 2015|publisher= [[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first1=Jeevan |last1=Vasagar| first2=Peter |last2=Spiegel|first3=Anne-Sylvaine|last3= Chassany |date=30 July 2015|url= http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/88352cf2-3697-11e5-bdbb-35e55cbae175.html |title=Schäuble outlines plan to limit European Commission powers|publisher=[[Financial Times]] |subscription=yes}}</ref> Following the [[Brexit]] in 2016, Schäuble urged Member States to be more pragmatic and take an intergovernmental approach to solving problems.<ref>Michelle Martin (July 3, 2016), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-germany-schaeuble-idUSKCN0ZI0ZY German politicians call for improvements to EU after Brexit vote] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

=== Foreign policy ===
Schäuble is considered a "committed transatlanticist"<ref>[http://www.cfr.org/eu/globalizing-world-requires-transatlantic-partnership-leadership/p32779 TRANSCRIPT: Globalizing World Requires Transatlantic Partnership and Leadership - A Conversation With German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, 11 April 2014] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419000947/http://www.cfr.org/eu/globalizing-world-requires-transatlantic-partnership-leadership/p32779 |date=19 April 2014 }} ''[[Council on Foreign Relations]]''.</ref> On 7 June 2011, he was among the guests invited to the [[state dinner]] hosted by President [[Barack Obama]] in honor of [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] Angela Merkel at the [[White House]].<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/07/expected-attendees-tonights-state-dinner Expected Attendees at Tonight's State Dinner] [[Office of the First Lady of the United States]], press release of 7 June 2011.</ref>

In 2002, shortly before the [[Iraq War]], Schäuble accused German Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]] of "strengthening [[Saddam Hussein]]" by undermining the unanimity of international pressure on Iraq to open up to United Nations weapons inspectors.<ref>Stephen Erlanger (17 August 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/17/world/us-quietly-chides-german-for-his-dissension-on-iraq.html U.S. Quietly Chides German For His Dissension on Iraq] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> On Schröder's initiative to join forces with President [[Jacques Chirac]] of France and President [[Vladimir Putin]] of Russia in opposing the war, Schäuble commented: "This triangular relationship involving Berlin, Paris and Moscow was a dangerous development. It was very dangerous for the small countries in Europe because they perceived it as an axis and you can understand why. We want good relations with Russia but we do not want those relations to be misunderstood."<ref>Judy Dempsey (26 August 2005), [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/world/europe/25iht-germany.html Merkel adviser seeks more-integrated EU] ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''.</ref> Schäuble, in contrast to many German politicians, subsequently defended the United States' decision to invade Iraq. By 2006, he said he thought the overthrow of [[Saddam Hussein]] was in itself correct, but that he was "doubtful" from the outset about the Iraq war because it resulted from a unilateral decision by the US.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/war-on-terror-merkel-demands-respect-for-international-law-a-436459.html War on Terror: Merkel Demands Respect for International Law] ''[[Spiegel Online]]'', 11 September 2006.</ref>

Schäuble accused Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]] of lacking an appropriate historical conscience, because he accepted alleged human rights violations by the Russian Government without criticism. On 31 March 2014, Schäuble compared the annexation of the [[Sudetenland]] by Nazi Germany in 1938 to the [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]] by Russia in the [[2014 Crimean crisis]]. Similar to [[Vladimir Putin]], [[Adolf Hitler]] had claimed that "ethnic Germans" in peripheral regions of what was then Czechoslovakia required protection.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/schaeuble-compares-putin-moves-in-crimea-to-policies-of-hitler-a-961696.html "Fighting Words: Schäuble Says Putin's Crimea Plans Reminiscent of Hitler", ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', 31 March 2014]</ref>

=== Domestic policy ===
In 1999 Schäuble initiated a CDU/CSU petition campaign against the reform of German citizenship law under the slogan "Integration: yes&nbsp;— double citizenship: no". In response to [[Pegida|anti-immigrant rallies]] in the eastern city of Dresden in late 2014, Schäuble said that immigration is good for Germany and politicians must explain better that everyone stands to gain from it; at the time, the number of asylum seekers in Germany, many from [[Syria]], had more than doubled within a year to around 200,000, and net immigration was at its highest level in two decades. "Just as we used millions of refugees and expellees after World War Two to rebuild.. so we need immigration today," Schäuble told ''[[Bild]]'' when asked about the popularity of anti-immigration policies.<ref name="Chambers-2014"/> Also, he held that "people are right to fear Islamist terrorism. But not Islam."<ref name="Chambers-2014">Madeline Chambers (27 December 2014), [http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/27/uk-german-immigration-schaeuble-idUKKBN0K50AT20141227 Germany needs immigration, Finance Minister says after anti-asylum rallies] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> In September 2015, he urged the [[Member States]] of the [[European Union]] to quickly establish a common European asylum law.<ref>Michelle Martin (1 October 2015), [https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/02/europe-migrants-germany-asylum-idUSL5N1214QM20151002 German finance minister seeks common EU asylum law quickly -paper] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

Schäuble was among the high-ranking guests attending the re-opening of [[Rykestrasse Synagogue]], Germany's largest synagogue, in September 2007.<ref>Anshel Pfeffer (2 September 2007), [http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/restored-berlin-synagogue-opens-doors-1.228633 Restored Berlin synagogue opens doors] ''[[Haaretz]]''.</ref> In May 2008, he banned two right-wing organizations he described as "reservoirs of organized Holocaust deniers."<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/germany-launches-nationwide-crackdown-on-neo-nazi-youth-group-1.255222 Germany launches nationwide crackdown on neo-Nazi youth group] ''[[Haaretz]]'', 9 October 2008.</ref> In 2009, he also banned the Homeland-Faithful German Youth, a far-right group, on grounds that it organizes seemingly harmless, such as holiday activities, to promote racist and Nazi ideology among children and young people.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/2.209/germany-bans-group-preaching-nazi-ideology-to-children-1.273246 Germany bans group preaching Nazi ideology to children] ''[[Haaretz]]'', 31 March 2009.</ref>

Between 2015 and 2016, Schäuble and the [[Claims Conference|Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany]], which manages aid to [[Holocaust]] survivors, negotiated a budget of some $500 million, the largest one-time increase in homecare funding for survivors the organization has ever secured.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.729239 Germany to Increase Aid to Holocaust Survivors Through 2018] ''[[Haaretz]]'', July 6, 2016.</ref>

Schäuble had long been considered as one of several prominent conservatives who are in favor of shifting the CDU's restrictive stance on [[gay marriage]].<ref>Charles Hawley (5 March 2013), [http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/chancellor-merkel-walks-a-fine-line-on-gay-marriage-a-887015.html Campaign Conundrum: Merkel Walks a Fine Line on Gay Rights] ''[[Der Spiegel]]''.</ref> In June 2017, however, he voted against Germany’s introduction of [[Same-sex marriage in Germany|same-sex marriage]].<ref>[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article166099805/Diese-Unionsabgeordneten-stimmten-fuer-die-Ehe-fuer-alle.html Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle] ''[[Die Welt]]'', June 30, 2017.</ref>

=== Domestic security ===
Schäuble has been calling for more muscular policies to combat terrorism since he joined the [[First Merkel cabinet|first Merkel government]] in 2005.<ref name="Landler-2007"/> Shortly after he assumed the position of Minister of the Interior, the [[2006 German train bombing plot]] became the closest Germany is known to have come to a large-scale terrorist attack since 11 September 2001, and Schäuble publicly stated the country escaped that one only through luck.<ref name="Landler-2007">Mark Landler (13 July 2007), [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/world/europe/13germany.html Germans Weigh Civil Rights and Public Safety] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>

As a consequence of the terrorism threats, Schäuble proposed several controversial measures. Ahead of the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] in Germany, he repeatedly advocated for amending the constitution to allow the military's use for domestic security purposes.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/world/europe/15iht-germany.html Law to shoot down airliners overturned] ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'', 15 February 2006.</ref> Among the methods that he believed Germans should at least debate are preventative detention of people suspected of terrorist activities and assassinations of the leaders of terrorist organizations.<ref name="Landler-2007"/> In March 2007, Schäuble said in an interview that the application of [[presumption of innocence]] should not be relevant for the authorization of [[Counter-terrorism|counter-terrorist operations]].<ref>[https://www.tagesschau.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID6637218_TYP6_THE_NAV_REF1_BAB,00.html Schäuble will Unschuldsvermutung nicht gelten lassen], www.[[Tagesschau (Germany)|tagesschau]].de, 18 April 2007 {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Later that same year Schäuble proposed the introduction of legislation that would allow the German Federal Government to carry out [[targeted killing]] of terrorists, as well as outlaw the use of the Internet and cell phones for people suspected of being terrorist sympathizers.<ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20070709114743331C698330 "German minister's proposal causes uproar"], AFP (''IOL''), 9 July 2007.</ref>

On 27 February 2008, he called on all European newspapers to print the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Muhammad cartoons]] with the explanation: "We also think they're pathetic, but the use of press freedom is no reason to resort to violence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3153390,00.html|title=German Minister Calls on EU Press to Publish Mohammed Cartoon|work=DW.COM}}</ref>

In July 2009, Schäuble said in an interview that Berlin would have to "clarify whether our constitutional state is sufficient for confronting new threats."<ref name="spiegel2">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,493364,00.html|author= Susanne Koelbl|title=Terrorism Interview with German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble: 'We Could Be Struck at Anytime'|work=Der Spiegel|date=28 July 2008|accessdate=29 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="spiegel3">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,494635,00.html |title=Schäuble in Trouble: Interior Minister in Crisis Over 'Targeted Killings' Remark|work=Der Spiegel|date=16 July 2007|accessdate=29 May 2010}}</ref> He said that the legal problems his office had to struggle with "extend all the way to extreme cases such as so-called [[targeted killing]] ... Imagine someone knew what cave Osama bin Laden is sitting in. A remote-controlled missile could then be fired in order to kill him."<ref name="spiegel2" /><ref name="spiegel3" /> The interviewer said: "Germany's federal government would probably send a public prosecutor there first, to arrest bin Laden."<ref name="spiegel2" /><ref name="spiegel3" /> Schäuble responded: "And the Americans would execute him with a missile, and most people would say: 'thank God'."<ref name="spiegel2" /><ref name="spiegel3" />

In the wake of the [[Charlie Hebdo shooting|deadly attacks]] in Paris on the offices of satirical publication ''[[Charlie Hebdo]]'' and a kosher supermarket in January 2015, Schäuble and his French counterpart [[Michel Sapin]] wrote a letter to the [[European Commission]], calling for continent-wide legislation to better trace financial flows and freeze the assets of terrorists living in the European Union.<ref>Harriet Torry (31 March 2015), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-france-urge-eu-to-clamp-down-on-terrorist-financing-1427814952 Germany, France Urge EU to Clamp Down on Terrorist Financing] ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref>

== Criticism ==
{{Criticism section|date=July 2015}}
{{Recentism|date=July 2015}}

===Law and order politics===
Criticism of Schäuble centers on his [[law and order (politics)|law and order]] politics during his second term as Federal Minister of the Interior, especially in the field of [[counter-terrorism]], for which he has been criticised by some [[civil rights]] activists. Vocal opponents include the [[open-source software]] community.<ref name="slashdot.org"/> The latest decisions of his ministry have led to a campaign dubbed [[Stasi 2.0]] by its initiators, claiming intentional resemblance to the [[East Germany|East German]] ''[[Ministerium für Staatssicherheit]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taz.de/1/politik/deutschland/artikel/1/der-mann-hinter-der-schaeublone/?src=SE&cHash=10c91b80e3|title=Protestsymbolschöpfer: Der Mann hinter der Schäublone|author=Georg Löwisch|work=taz.de}}</ref>

Controversy was sparked by Schäuble's recommendation in a 2007 interview of a book by [[Otto Depenheuer]], who defended the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] as a "legally permissible response in the fight of constitutional civilisation against the barbarity of terrorism".<ref name=Hofmann>{{cite news|author=Gunter Hofmann |title=Schäubles Nachtlektüre |url=http://www.zeit.de/2007/33/Schäubles_Nachtlektuere?page=all |work=[[Die Zeit]] issue 33/2007 |location=Hamburg |page=7 |date=9 August 2007 |accessdate=29 December 2007 |language=German }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

As a protest against his support for the increasing use of [[biometrics|biometric data]], the [[Hacker (computer security)|hacker]] group [[Chaos Computer Club]] published one of Schäuble's [[fingerprint]]s in the March 2008 edition of its magazine ''Datenschleuder''. The magazine also included the print on a film that readers could use to fool fingerprint readers.<ref>[http://www.h-online.com/newsticker/news/item/CCC-publishes-fingerprints-of-German-Home-Secretary-734713.html CCC publishes fingerprints of Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Home Secretary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015061744/http://www.h-online.com/newsticker/news/item/CCC-publishes-fingerprints-of-German-Home-Secretary-734713.html |date=15 October 2010 }}, ''Heise Online'', 31 March 2008, Retrieved 16 December 2010</ref>

In November 2008, a bill giving the [[Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)|Federal Criminal Police Office]] (BKA) more authority failed when some states abstained from the vote in the [[Bundesrat of Germany|Bundesrat]], the legislative representative of the states. Subsequently, Schäuble suggested changing Bundesrat's voting procedures to discount abstention votes from the total. Many politicians of the opposition criticized his proposal, and some called for his resignation.<ref>{{cite news|author=ddp/ks|title=Schäubles vorschlag stößt auf Welle der Empörung|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/article2763806/Schäubles-Vorschlag-stoesst-auf-Welle-der-Empoerung.html|work=[[Die Welt|Welt Online]]|language=German|date=21 November 2008|accessdate=22 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenminister112.html|title=Schäuble erntet Fassungslosigkeit|work=[[Tagesschau (Germany)|Tagesschau]]|language=German}}</ref>

In February 2009, Schäuble's homepage was hacked due to a security flaw in the [[TYPO3]] [[Content management system|CMS]] and its non-secure password ''gewinner'' ("winner"). The hack consisted of a defacement that placed a large, easily visible link on his front page to the homepage of the [[Telecommunications data retention#Germany|German Working Group on Data Retention]].<ref>{{cite news|work=Heise Online|title=Typo3 hack on German Interior Minister's web site|url=http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Typo3-hack-on-German-Interior-Minister-s-web-site-740071.html}}</ref>

===Relations with Greece===
Schäuble came under criticism for his actions during the [[Greek withdrawal from the eurozone|"Grexit" crisis of 2015]]: it was suggested by [[Yanis Varoufakis]] that Schäuble had intended to force Greece out of the Euro even before the [[Greek legislative election, January 2015|election of the left-wing Syriza government]] in Greece.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/07/13/dr-schaubles-plan-for-europe-do-europeans-approve-article-to-appear-in-die-zeit-on-thursday-16th-july-2015/ |date=13 July 2015 |title=Dr Schäuble’s Plan for Europe: Do Europeans approve? – Article to appear in Die Zeit on Thursday 16th July 2015 - Yanis Varoufakis|work=Yanis Varoufakis}}</ref> This was confirmed by former US Treasury Secretary [[Timothy Geithner|Tim Geithner]] in early 2014; calling Schäuble's plan "frightening," Geithner recorded that Schäuble believed a Greek exit from the Eurozone would scare other countries in to line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepressproject.gr/details_en.php?aid=61869 |date=14 May 2014|title=Timothy Geithner reveals Schauble's plan to kick Greece out of the euro and 'terrify' the rest of Europe |work=thepressproject.gr}}</ref> Schäuble also received extensive criticism toward his austerity recommendations from [[Twitter]] via the [[hashtag]] #ThisIsACoup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/13/thisisacoup-germany-faces-backlash-over-tough-greece-bailout-demands |title=#ThisIsACoup: Germany faces backlash over tough Greece bailout demands |date=12 July 2015 |work=the Guardian}}</ref> Such criticism focused on the fact that Schäuble's insistence on policies of austerity was contradicted both by the empirical evidence that the policies he had insisted on had shrunk the Greek economy by 25%, a degree hitherto paralleled only in wartime, but also by reports from the IMF insisting that only massive debt relief, not further austerity, could be effective.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/02/18/how_bad_is_greece_s_economy_these_charts_will_tell_you.html|title=How bad is Greece's economy? These charts will tell you. |date=18 February 2015|work=Slate Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/14/imf-report-greece-needs-more-debt-relief|title=Athens to vote as IMF warns Greece needs extra debt relief above bailout |date=14 July 2015 |author=Larry Elliott|work=the Guardian}}</ref>

===Tax loopholes===
When a parliamentary inquiry was set up in 2017 to look into a banks dividend scandal, Schäuble had to confront public criticism that he waited too long to ban a double ownership loophole that let two parties claim ownership of the same shares and allowed both parties to claim tax rebates, causing the state to lose billions of euros in tax.<ref>Matthias Sobolewski (February 16, 2017), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-dividends-schaeuble-idUSKBN15V2AP Schaeuble defends himself, regulator over banks dividend scandal] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

== Other activities (selection) ==
===Corporate boards===
* [[KfW]], Deputy Chairman of the Board of Supervisory Directors (2009-2017)
* [[Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank]] (AIIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2016-2017)<ref>[https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/governance/board-governors/index.html Board of Governors] [[Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank]] (AIIB).</ref>

===Non-profits===
* Friends of the [[Festspielhaus Baden-Baden]], Chairman
* Deutsche Nationalstiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees
* [[Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz]], Member of the Board of Trustees
* Deutsche Stiftung Querschnittlähmung (German Paraplegia Foundation), Member of the Board of Trustees
* [[Deutsches Museum]], Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[http://www.deutsches-museum.de/wir-ueber-uns/kuratorium/ Board of Trustees] [[Deutsches Museum]].</ref>
* Friends of the [[Berliner Philharmonie]], Member of the Board of Trustees
* [[House of Finance]], [[Goethe University Frankfurt]], Member of the Board of Trustees
* International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia, Member of the Board of Trustees
* [[Max Planck Society]], Member of the Board of Trustees
* RAG-Stiftung, ex-officio Member of the Board of Trustees
* [[Robert Schuman Foundation (European People's Party)|Robert Schuman Foundation]], Member of the Board of Directors
* [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup]], Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[http://de.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/y=2008/m=9/news=kuratorium-unter-vorsitz-von-thomas-bach-892133.html WM-Kuratorium unter Vorsitz von Dr. Thomas Bach] [[FIFA]], press release of 30 September 2008.</ref>

== Recognition (selection) ==
* 1986: [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
* 1988: [[National Order of Merit (France)|Grand-Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite]] by the [[President of France]]
* 1989: Grand Commander (Commander with the star) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 
* 1991: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
* 1992: Honorary Doctorate of the [[University of Erlangen-Nuremberg]]
* 1998: [[Germany Foundation|Konrad-Adenauer-Preis]]
* 1998: [[Legion of Honour|Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur]]
* 2005: Honorary Doctorate of the [[University of Fribourg]]
* 2006: Honorary Doctorate of the [[University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn]]
* 2008: [[Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg]]
* 2009: Honorary Doctorate of the [[University of Tübingen]]
* 2010: [[Toleranzpreis der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing]]
* 2011: Honorary Doctorate of the [[Corvinus University of Budapest]]
* 2011: [[Order of the Oak Crown]] of the [[Luxembourg|Grand Duchy of Luxembourg]]
* 2012: [[Charlemagne Prize|International Charlemagne Prize]] of [[Aachen]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dw.de/sch%C3%A4uble-receives-charlemagne-prize/a-15950762 |title=Schäuble receives Charlemagne Prize |last1=Ondruskova |first1=Iveta |date=2012-05-17 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216184236/http://www.dw.de/sch%C3%A4uble-receives-charlemagne-prize/a-15950762 |archivedate=2014-12-16 |accessdate=2014-12-16}}</ref>
* 2014: Award for Understanding and Tolerance of the [[Jewish Museum, Berlin|Jewish Museum Berlin]]
* 2015: [[Bambi Award]]
* 2017: [[Kissinger Prize]]

== Personal life ==
[[File:Wolfgang Schäuble.Pfingstmontag.Wallenstein.4018.jpg|thumb|right|Schäuble with his wife Ingeborg Schäuble (2007)]]Schäuble has been married to economist Ingeborg Schäuble since 1969. They have four children:<ref name=rmos90/> three daughters Christine, Juliane and Anna, and one son Hans-Jörg. His late brother, Thomas Schäuble (1948–2013), was a former Interior Minister of [[Baden-Württemberg]], and an executive chairman of the Baden-Württemberg state brewery [[Rothaus]] from 2004 to 2013. His son-in-law is [[Thomas Strobl]], who currently serves as Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg.

When Schäuble celebrated his 70th birthday at the [[Deutsches Theater (Berlin)|Deutsches Theater]] in Berlin in September 2012, Chancellor Angela Merkel and [[Christine Lagarde]], the managing director of the [[International Monetary Fund]], delivered the keynote speeches in his honor.<ref>Jack Ewing (17 April 2013), [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/global/euro-zone-crisis-has-increased-imfs-power.html Euro Zone Crisis Has Increased I.M.F.'s Power] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>

=== Assassination attempt and resulting health issues ===
On 12 October 1990, at the age of 48, Schäuble was the target of an assassination attempt by Dieter Kaufmann, who fired three shots at him after an election campaign event attended by about 300 people in [[Oppenau]].<ref name="Schmemann-1990"/><ref name=rmos90>{{cite news|title=German Cabinet Member Shot, Seriously Wounded By Attacker|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-10-13/news/9003260038_1_hans-neusel-schaeuble-third-attack|accessdate=11 September 2013|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=13 October 1990|author=Ray Moseley|location=Berlin}}</ref> Kaufmann injured a bodyguard, and severely injured Schäuble's [[spinal cord]] and face.<ref name=rmos90 />

Schäuble was left paralysed from the attack and has used a wheelchair ever since. The would-be assassin was declared mentally ill by the judges, and committed to a clinic because of [[psychoneurosis]]. He was released in 2004.

Meanwhile, Schäuble returned to work within three months, even while he was still living in a rehabilitation unit, learning to manoeuvre while paralysed below the waist.<ref name="Man in the News: Wolfgang Schäuble"/> For his last rally in the 1990 elections, Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]] traveled to Offenburg, where Schäuble made his first public appearance after the assassination attempt to a crowd of about 9,000.<ref>Serge Schmemann (1 December 1990), [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/01/world/kohl-dominating-campaign-acts-as-if-he-s-already-won.html Kohl, Dominating Campaign, Acts as if He's Already Won] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>

In May 2010, on his way to Brussels for an emergency meeting of European Union finance ministers, Schäuble found himself in the intensive care unit of a Belgian hospital, battling complications from an earlier operation and an allergic reaction to a new antibiotic.<ref>Quentin Peel (19 May 2010), [http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b82f3e3c-6377-11df-a844-00144feab49a.html Schäuble interview: Berlin's strictures] ''[[Financial Times]]''.</ref> At that point, the German news media speculated about his resignation, and even his chances of survival.<ref>Nicholas Kulish and Jack Ewing (18 November 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/world/europe/for-wolfgang-schauble-seeing-opportunity-in-europes-crisis.html Seeing in Crisis the Last Best Chance to Unite Europe] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> However, Chancellor Angela Merkel twice declined Schäuble's offer to step down during a period of ill health in 2010.<ref>Rainer Buergin and Birgit Jennen (20 September 2013), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-19/schaeuble-seen-keeping-finance-post-even-in-spd-coalition Schaeuble Seen Keeping Finance Post Even in SPD Coalition] ''[[Bloomberg News]]''.</ref>

== Selected works ==
Schäuble has written a number of books including 
* ''Der Vertrag. Wie ich über die deutsche Einheit verhandelte'' (The treaty: How I conducted the negotiations on German unification, 1991); 
* ''Und der Zukunft zugewandt'' (Looking to the future, 1994); ''Und sie bewegt sich doch'' (And yet it moves, 1998); Mitten im Leben (In the prime of life, 2000); 
* ''Scheitert der Westen? Deutschland, Die neue Weltordnung'' (Is the West failing? Germany and the new world order, 2003) and 
* ''Zukunft mit Maß. Was wir aus der Krise lernen können'' (Future of moderation: What we can learn from the crisis, 2009).<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/bef2011/speakers/wolfgang-schauble/index.html Speakers: Wolfgang Schäuble] Brussels Economic Forum, 18 May 2011.</ref>
* ''60 Jahre Grundgesetz: Verfassungsanspruch und Wirklichkeit'', in: [[Robertson-von Trotha, Caroline Y.]] (ed.): 60 Jahre Grundgesetz. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven (= Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society, Vol. 4), Baden-Baden 2009

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://en.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-877/i.html Wolfgang Schäuble: "Muslims Should Feel at Home in Germany"]

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