Söder Defends Merz's Cabinet Reshuffle – Criticism from the Union over Handling of Schnieder

Söder also drew a football analogy: "Das ist wie beim Fußballtrainer, der muss ein- und auswechseln." In doing so, he backed Merz, who – after the failed attempt to replace Schnieder with a different candidate – ultimately turned to SPD transport expert Steffen Bilger (CDU).

Schnieder Pre-empts Merz

The background is a weeks-long saga: Merz had already informed Schnieder on Thursday evening that he intended to dismiss him. Schnieder got there first, however, declaring on Sunday in a statement to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur: "Ich werde den Bundeskanzler bitten, dem Bundespräsidenten vorzuschlagen, mich aus dem Amt des Bundesministers für Verkehr zu entlassen."

Schnieder justified the move with the "Entwicklungen der vergangenen Tage" and the desire to end an "unwürdigen Zustand" that made "notwendige sachliche Arbeit unmöglich". He appealed for understanding regarding a swift succession – particularly with a view to the upcoming decisions at Deutsche Bahn.

Unease Within the Party

The personnel reshuffle became a political affair. Schnieder published his statement shortly before 6 p.m., while Merz was paying tribute to the victims at the scene of an attack in Berlin. The CDU state parliamentary group in Rhineland-Palatinate subsequently cancelled a scheduled appointment with the Chancellor. In the letter, signed by group leader Christoph Gensch, it said: "Ein persönlicher Austausch zwischen der CDU-Landtagsfraktion Rheinland-Pfalz und Ihnen setzt aus unserer Sicht ein Mindestmaß an gegenseitigem Vertrauen und Wertschätzung voraus."

Sharp criticism of the manner of the proceedings came from within the Union. Gerhard Kauth, chair of the CDU municipal association in Arzfeld in the Eifel region, told the "Tagesspiegel": "Was Merz jetzt mit Patrick Schnieder macht, ist für uns alle unverständlich, ich halte es für skandalös. Vom Stil her ist das das Allerletzte." Rhineland-Palatinate district administrator Anke Beilstein spoke of an "unwürdigen Vorgehen" and a possible rushed decision.

Former CDU member of the Bundestag Wolfgang Bosbach also weighed in. "In ganz Rheinland-Pfalz herrscht Kopfschütteln, versteht das kein Mensch", he told the "Handelsblatt". "Aber die Art und Weise macht mich sehr nachdenklich. Das hat Patrick nicht verdient." Off the record, other members of the Bundestag and party officials expressed similar views.

Steffen Bilger as Designated Successor

The federal vice-chairman of the Christian Democratic Employees' Association (CDA), Christian Bäumler, told the paper: "Die Abberufung von Verkehrsminister Schnieder erweckt den Eindruck von Willkür." He also spoke of an approach that damages people's trust in democracy. Members of the Bundestag and senior party representatives spoke of clumsy mistakes and a "Desaster" for which Merz bore responsibility.

CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann – who himself is set to move into the cabinet as Health Minister – commented in "Bild". He said the situation had been a different one at the time of earlier statements. The background is a previous remark by Linnemann on the broadcaster Phoenix that he would "wahrscheinlich nicht erfolgreich" have been as Health Minister. That remark sparked a debate on social media, with people saying: why is he becoming Health Minister, what does that have to do with anything.

Regardless of the criticism, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius defended the approach. Merz had thanked Schnieder again in a phone call on Sunday for his work and expressed his regret "dass der Amtswechsel wegen unvorhergesehener Umstände nicht wie geplant kommuniziert werden konnte". At the same time, Merz had made clear that a change at the Transport Ministry was evidently necessary. Because a preferred candidate had declined, there was "ein bisschen Zeitverzögerung, am Ende kommt es darauf an, wie die Gesamtlösung ist".

Steffen Bilger (CDU) is the proposed new Transport Minister. Chancellor Merz would put forward the 47-year-old from Baden-Württemberg for the post, said Kornelius. Bilger sat on the parliament's Transport Committee from 2009 to 2018 and subsequently served as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Transport Ministry until 2021. He has received much praise and recognition for managing the Union parliamentary group during the first 15 months of the black-red coalition.

Rail Reform as the Biggest Task

Before his move, Bilger was Parliamentary Executive Secretary of the Union parliamentary group. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2009. Difficult tasks await him: when the Merz government took office in May 2025, he had already been discussed once as a minister. Among other things, a reform of the track-charging system is on the agenda, on which the ministry has been working for months. A reform of driver's licensing procedures also remains unfinished.

At the centre of his duties is likely to be Deutsche Bahn. Last September, Schnieder had presented a new rail strategy – under the title "Agenda für zufriedene Kunden auf der Schiene". At its core is an "Infraplan" setting out concrete timeline, quality, and volume targets for the rail infrastructure subsidiary InfraGO. It is also possible that the concept of "Korridorsanierungen" will be put to the test once more.

Schnieder had also made clear that he considered further unexpected closures due to dilapidated bridges possible. "Das kann uns immer wieder passieren", he said with reference to the full closure of the Bonn Nordbrücke. The president of the Ingenieurkammer-Bau NRW, Heinrich Bökamp, spoke of a new dimension. Despite the 500-billion-euro special fund, there was too little money for transport infrastructure, complained Green transport politician Tarek Al-Wazir.

Reactions from Business

The managing director of Allianz Pro Schiene, Dirk Flege, said: "Respekt für Patrick Schnieder. Genau wie sein Vorgänger Volker Wissing stellt er am Ende der Amtszeit die Aufgabe in den Mittelpunkt und nicht die eigene Person." The Chancellor must now end the drawn-out affair without delay and present a professionally competent successor.

Such a measure is normally "das letzte Mittel", according to a statement. Criticism of Merz within the Union had continued to build over the weekend – even if, initially, no one from the front or second row of the parliamentary group spoke out publicly. The mood in the CDU/CSU Bundestag group ranges from incomprehension to open outrage.

On the sidelines of the ZDF interview, Söder also highlighted the personnel decisions announced so far. Nina Warken is to become Chancellery chief, Carsten Linnemann Health Minister, and Thorsten Frei Union parliamentary group leader. These changes are "sehr gut", said the Bavarian Minister-President. With regard to the announced Bilger move, Söder said: "Ich traue mir das zu."

Municipalities Warn of Burdens

On the Berliner Runde on Sunday evening, the chief executive of the Deutscher Landkreistag, Kay Ruge, also spoke of a financial emergency in the municipalities: "Wir häufen riesige Schuldenberge an." What was needed was "eine deutliche Soforthilfe in Milliardenhöhe" and "keine neuen Belastungen".