Jung leaves, von der Leyen comes. Franz-Josef Jung’s resignation didn’t take long. Since the Bild daily revealed, on Wednesday, that the current Employment Minister hid, when he was the Defense Minister, crucial information on the civil casualties of a bombing ordered by the German army in Afghanistan, the pressure on the Minister’s shoulders kept growing. Mrs. Merkel’s government already had enough on its plate with the fight against the crisis, so Berlin decided to cut short any controversy and avoid the risks of a painful fact-finding committee. Therefore, Mr. Jung had to cave. He leaves the Employment Ministry where he only had time to announce the extension of short-time working measures. In the evening, the Ministry’s spokesman announced that Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, until now Minister for Family Affairs, was coming to replace him. This mother of seven children was uncovered by the public opinion during Mrs. Merkel’s first mandate. By imposing parental pay and actively fighting for better work life balance, she managed to modernize the image of the conservative party on these issues. She’s one of German people’s favorite Ministers. “I will fully dive into this new challenge. I am well aware of the responsibility of a Minister for Employment and Social Affairs in times of an economic crisis” declared Mrs. Von der Leyen, who has already been regional Minister for Social Affairs in low-Saxony.
tter work life balance, she managed to modernize the image of the conservative party on these issues. She’s one of German people’s favorite Ministers.
Do you have information to share with us?