Laurenz Meyer
Encyclopedia
Laurenz Meyer is a German
politician (Christian Democratic Union or CDU
).
From 2000 to 2004 he was General Secretary of the CDU.
, leaving in 1975 as a qualified economist. He was then employed at Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke Westfalen, or VEW AG (which was later taken over by the RWE group
) in Dortmund
. He was most recently employed here as RWE's commercial director in the Arnsberg
regional office.
.
. Meyer has belonged to the Federal Executive of the CDU since April 2000 and was General Secretary of the CDU from November 20, 2000 to December 22, 2004.
(Social Democratic Party).
From 1990 until 2003 Meyer was a member of the state parliament (Landtag
) of North Rhine-Westphalia. Here he was party spokesperson for economic issues from 1990 to 1999, deputy leader from 1997 to 1999 and leader of the CDU in the state parliament from February 23, 1999 to June 2, 2000. After losing the 2000 election Meyer had to give up his office as party leader to Jürgen Rüttgers. From June 6 to December 6, 2000 Meyer was then deputy speaker of the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Since 2002 Laurenz Meyer has been a member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag
). He entered parliament by being on the CDU's party list for North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany's proportional representation
electoral system.
" newspaper reported on December 19 that CDU boss Angela Merkel had stripped her General Secretary of his powers. Close party colleagues demanded his resignation. On December 20 Meyer announced that he would donate the amount in question (81,800 euros) to the SOS-Kinderdörfer charity (a type of children's home).
After pressure from the party's rank and file Laurenz Meyer resigned as General Secretary on December 22, 2004. The reason for his resignation was that the special payment which he described as severance pay was not this, since Meyer returned to the company only after the CDU defeat at the North Rhine-Westphalian election in May 2000. This fact and the false information he provided to Angela Merkel
made him untenable for the party. The received payments admitted by him and the announcement of a donation to SOS-Kinderdörfer were especially unable to placify the party's branches in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein
, which were in the middle of an election campaign.
In spite of his resignation Meyer continues to receive a salary of 7,009 euros a month as a Member of Parliament, not including a tax-free monthly expense allowance of 3,551 euros. Furthermore, he may reactivate his employment contract with the RWE energy company, from which he last drew an annual income of 112,381 euros.
On December 23, 2004 RWE announced the result of an internal investigation into the payments made to Meyer. According to it 160,000 of 250,000 DM were unjustified and had been made by VEW as a result of a "communication error". In a statement on December 17 Meyer had described this payment as "legally correct", but also admitted "...I have nevertheless become aware of the fact that many people have a problem understanding that at that time I accepted this money, since I went back into the company...".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician (Christian Democratic Union or CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
).
From 2000 to 2004 he was General Secretary of the CDU.
Education and career
After his Abitur (school leaving) examinations in 1968 Meyer completed a course of study in economics at the University of MünsterUniversity of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
, leaving in 1975 as a qualified economist. He was then employed at Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke Westfalen, or VEW AG (which was later taken over by the RWE group
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
) in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
. He was most recently employed here as RWE's commercial director in the Arnsberg
Arnsberg
Arnsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg's administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:...
regional office.
Family
Laurenz Meyer is married and has four daughters. He is separated from his wife and lives with his partner in HammHamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
.
Party
Meyer has been a member of the CDU since 1968. From 1997 to 2001 he was State Treasurer of the CDU in North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. Meyer has belonged to the Federal Executive of the CDU since April 2000 and was General Secretary of the CDU from November 20, 2000 to December 22, 2004.
Elected representative
Meyer was on the Hamm city council from 1975 to 1995 and was CDU leader on the council from 1989 to 1995. In 1994 he campaigned for the office of Lord Mayor, but lost to Jürgen Wieland, the candidate of the SPDSocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(Social Democratic Party).
From 1990 until 2003 Meyer was a member of the state parliament (Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
) of North Rhine-Westphalia. Here he was party spokesperson for economic issues from 1990 to 1999, deputy leader from 1997 to 1999 and leader of the CDU in the state parliament from February 23, 1999 to June 2, 2000. After losing the 2000 election Meyer had to give up his office as party leader to Jürgen Rüttgers. From June 6 to December 6, 2000 Meyer was then deputy speaker of the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Since 2002 Laurenz Meyer has been a member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
). He entered parliament by being on the CDU's party list for North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany's proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
electoral system.
RWE Affair and Resignation
On December 10, 2004 it was reported that Meyer (nicknamed Laurenz Nimmersatt, "Gluttonous Laurenz") was receiving power from RWE (which had taken over his former employer VEW in 2000) at a discounted employee rate, although he had parted company with the group in 1999. One week later new allegations surfaced, according to which he was receiving payments from RWE even while he was General Secretary of the CDU. Meyer described these as "special dividends". In addition Meyer was still receiving earnings as deputy speaker in the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament and was thus receiving three salaries. The "Bild am SonntagBild-Zeitung
The Bild is a German tabloid published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday, while on Sundays, Bild am Sonntag is published instead, which has a different style and its own editors...
" newspaper reported on December 19 that CDU boss Angela Merkel had stripped her General Secretary of his powers. Close party colleagues demanded his resignation. On December 20 Meyer announced that he would donate the amount in question (81,800 euros) to the SOS-Kinderdörfer charity (a type of children's home).
After pressure from the party's rank and file Laurenz Meyer resigned as General Secretary on December 22, 2004. The reason for his resignation was that the special payment which he described as severance pay was not this, since Meyer returned to the company only after the CDU defeat at the North Rhine-Westphalian election in May 2000. This fact and the false information he provided to Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
made him untenable for the party. The received payments admitted by him and the announcement of a donation to SOS-Kinderdörfer were especially unable to placify the party's branches in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, which were in the middle of an election campaign.
In spite of his resignation Meyer continues to receive a salary of 7,009 euros a month as a Member of Parliament, not including a tax-free monthly expense allowance of 3,551 euros. Furthermore, he may reactivate his employment contract with the RWE energy company, from which he last drew an annual income of 112,381 euros.
On December 23, 2004 RWE announced the result of an internal investigation into the payments made to Meyer. According to it 160,000 of 250,000 DM were unjustified and had been made by VEW as a result of a "communication error". In a statement on December 17 Meyer had described this payment as "legally correct", but also admitted "...I have nevertheless become aware of the fact that many people have a problem understanding that at that time I accepted this money, since I went back into the company...".