Schulze was born in Düsseldorf and grew up in the Weckhoven district of Neuss.[2] She completed her school-leaving exam in 1988 at the Gymnasium Norf in Neuss. She then studied German Studies and Political Science at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, which she completed in 1996 with the academic degree of Magistra Artium. As part of her studies, she also completed an internship at Alice-Salomon-Berufskolleg, a vocational school in Bochum.
After graduating, Schulze worked as a freelancer in the advertising and PR industry.[1] From 2000, she worked as a management consultant specializing in the public sector, including at Mummert & Partner, BBDO and Booz & Company.
Political career
Career in state politics
Schulze joined the SPD in 1988[3] and served as highschool students' county spokesperson for North Rhine-Westphalia from 1988 to 1989, then as a member of the Socialist College Association and chair of the AStA at the University of Bochum. From 1993 to 1997, Schulze was North Rhine-Westphalia's regional leader of Jusos.
In 2007, Schulze took over the chairmanship of the SPD sub-district Münster from Christoph Strässer and held it until 21 May 2011.
After 2010 state elections, Minister-PresidentHannelore Kraft appointed Schulze as State Minister of Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Cabinet Kraft I). With the abolition of tuition fees in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schulze launched one of the government's major political projects. During her term, the so-called "nuclear sphere affair" regarding the AVR reactor in Jülich occurred. At the election on 13 May 2012, she won the direct mandate in the Münster II constituency and was directly elected to the state legislature with 40.1 percent. On 21 June 2012, she was appointed again as State Minister of Innovation, Science and Research in the Cabinet Kraft II.
From 2017 until 2018, Schulze served as Secretary General of the SPD North Rhine-Westphalia, in this capacity supporting interim chairman Michael Groschek.[6] On 8 December 2017, she was elected to the SPD national board, under the leadership of chairwoman Andrea Nahles.[7] On the following day she was also elected to the SPD Presidium.[8]
During her time in office, Schulze helped implement the Merkel government's 2019 agreement on the introduction of a carbon price for key sectors such as transport and a €54 billion spending package to encourage companies and households to reduce their carbon emissions.[12] She later oversaw the introduction of 2021 legislation under which farmers in Germany would have to gradually reduce their use of glyphosate and stop using it completely from 2024 in order to preserve clean habitats for insects.[13] Later that year, she led the government's efforts to raise Germany's target for reducing carbon emissions by 2030 from 55 per cent to 65 per cent and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, five years earlier than initially planned.[14][15]
In October 2020, Schulze announced that she would run for a parliamentary seat in the 2021 federal elections.[16] In the elections, she stood in Münster but came in third place. She was elected on the state list.
At the COP26 climate summit in 2021, Schulze said that "nuclear power cannot be a solution in the climate crisis." At the time, Germany was engaging in a nuclear phaseout while experiencing an energy crisis and heavily relying on coal and natural gas for power generation.[18]
Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, 2021–present
In her capacity as minister, Schulze chaired the meetings of the Group of Seven (G7) development ministers when Germany held the group's rotating presidency in 2022.[21] In April 2022, she also co-hosted a donor conference which helped raise $4.8 billion in funding pledges for the vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX.[22] In response to the 2022 food crises, she led G7 efforts to establish the Global Alliance for Food Security, jointly convened with the World Bank.[23]
In September 2022, Schulze made available an additional 200 million euros ($199.02 million) to fund Ukraine's aid programs for those internally displaced as a result of Russia's invasion.[24]
In October 2023, Schulze joined the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired by Scholz and PresidentEmmanuel Macron.[25][26]
Other activities
International organizations
Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee, Member (since 2022)[27]