Organisation

The Federal Minister for the Environment is the head of the Ministry. He manages the ministry and is its representative in the Federal Cabinet. Directly under the minister are the executive staff and working group P (press division). The executive staff is made up of the Minister’s Office, the divisions "Cabinet and Parliament" (KP), "International Affairs, Protocol" (IP) along with "Political Analyses and Concepts, Speeches" (A). Working group P works in close cooperation with the Minister, and together they shape the communicative approach of the ministry. The working group is made up of the areas press, public relations and new media.

The State Secretary is the Minister's deputy. He has, like the Minister, the right to issue instructions to all employees of the ministry. Finally, the executive staff also consists of two Parliamentary State Secretaries, who are members of parliament - delegates of the German Bundestag. They represent the Minister, for example, at declarations at the Bundestag, the Bundesrat and also at meetings of the German government.

The Ministry is divided up into six directorates-general according to their field and subject areas. The number of employees per directorate-general ranges between approximately 80 to over 200 people. At the head of each directorate-general is a Director-General, who is responsible for their assigned directorate, coordinates the work of the various specialist divisions and also maintains close contact with the Minister and State Secretary. Every directorate-general is made up of directorates; the Ministry is divided up/structured as follows:

Directorate-General ZG: Central Functions, Strategic Aspects of Environmental Protection, Civic Participation

This directorate-general deals with the strategic aspects and consists of four directorates, which can be recognised by the abbreviation ZG alongside a roman numeral. ZG I looks after the administration of personnel and finances. ZG II deals with cooperation of the Länder and municipalities. Along with this it is also responsible for research projects, promotion of environmental projects and environmental education. ZG III is concerned with fundamental, environmental and economic issues of environmental policy. ZG IV deals with fundamental sociopolitical aspects, public participation, event management and public communication.

Directorate-General E: Energiewende, Climate Policy, European and International Environmental Policy.

This directorate-general is divided into three directorates. E I deals with the transformation of the energy system (Energiewende), E II focuses on the area of climate policy and E III with European and international environmental policy.

Directorate-General RS: Safety of Nuclear Installations, Radiological Protection, Nuclear Fuel Cycle

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety is the Ministry responsible for nuclear safety, radiological protection and the nuclear fuel cycle.

The Ministry is the national authority competent for the effective protection of people, the environment and property from nuclear hazards and risks as well as the adverse effects of radiation. The tasks of Directorate-General RS include updating nuclear and radiation protection legislation, specifying the respective standards, supervising the activities of the competent Länder authorities and international cooperation. Directorate-General RS is also spilt up into three directorates. RS I deals with the safety of nuclear installations, especially nuclear power stations. RS II focuses on radiological protection, and RS III works in particular with the disposal of radioactive waste and the decommissioning of nuclear power stations.

Directorate-General WA: Water Management, Waste Management, Soil Conservation

In this directorate-general there are also three directorates: WA I works specifically to protect our waters and marine environment. WA II deals in particular with the prevention, recycling and disposal of waste. WA III is responsible for soil conservation and ecological resource efficiency.

Directorate-General IG: Environmental Health, Immission Control, Safety of Installations and Transport, Chemical Safety

This directorate-general consists of two directorates. IG I works in the area of air and noise pollution protection, whilst IG II is concerned with the safety of chemicals/chemical safety.

Directorate-General N: Nature Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

This general-directorate is also divided into two directorates. N I deals with nature conservation, whilst N II is concerned with the sustainable use of natural resources, for example, with regard to sports or tourism.