Council Members

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an advisory body with a mandate from the German federal government. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz appointed 15 public figures to the Council for a three-year term.

Reiner Hoffmann

Chair of the Council

Former President German Trade Union Confederation; Member European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Gunda Röstel

Deputy Chair of the Council

Commercial Director Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH; Authorized Representative GELSENWASSER AG

Prof. Dr Katrin Böhning-Gaese

Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ; Professor Goethe University Frankfurt

Zarah Bruhn

Social entrepreneur; Commissioner for Social Innovation at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Founder and Managing Di...

Katja Dörner

Mayor of the Federal City of Bonn

Saori Dubourg

Chair of the Management Board of Greiner AG

Tanja Gönner

Director General Federation of German Industries (BDI)

Jörg-Andreas Krüger

President Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)

Prof. Dr Mark G. Lawrence

Scientific Director Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS)

Prof. Dr Kai Niebert

President German League for Nature and Environment (DNR)

Hubertus Paetow

President German Agricultural Society (DLG)

Myriam Rapior

Vice President German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) – Friends of the Earth Germany

Dr Werner Schnappauf

Lawyer and consultant; Former Minister of State

Dr Franziska Tanneberger

Director Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC)

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul

Former Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development

Former Council members, Chairpersons and Secretaries-General

2001-2024