Sigmar Gabriel

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}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }} Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel (born 12 September 1959) is a German politician who was the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018 and the vice-chancellor of Germany from 2013 to 2018. He was Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 2009 to 2017,<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which made him the party's longest-serving leader since Willy Brandt.<ref name=":0" /> He was the Federal Minister of the Environment from 2005 to 2009 and the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy from 2013 to 2017. From 1999 to 2003 Gabriel was Minister-President of Lower Saxony.

He represented Salzgitter – Wolfenbüttel in the Bundestag.

Gabriel is a member of the Seeheimer Kreis, an official internal grouping of the party with liberal economic positions.

Early life and educationEdit

Gabriel was born in Goslar, West Germany, son of Walter Gabriel (1921–2012), a municipal civil servant, and Antonie Gabriel (1922–2014), a nurse. Gabriel's parents divorced in 1962, and for the next six years he lived with his father and grandmother Lina Gabriel, while his sister lived with their mother. After a lengthy custody battle his mother was awarded custody for both children in 1969.

Gabriel's father was a Lutheran originally from Hirschberg im Riesengebirge in Silesia (now Poland), while his mother was a Catholic originally from Heilsberg in the Ermland (Warmia) region of East Prussia who had most recently lived in Königsberg; both parents came as refugees to West Germany during the flight and expulsion of Germans at the end of the Second World War. Sigmar Gabriel has described his family history as a "wild story of flight and expulsion" and noted that his parents dealt with the trauma of expulsion in different ways. According to Gabriel, his father was physically and emotionally abusive to him<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was an enthusiastic supporter of the national socialist ideology "until his dying breath;"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Walter Gabriel never saw active service during the war due to suffering from polio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His mother was involved in relief and solidarity work for Poland during the period of martial law in Poland.<ref name="rhein-zeitung">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sigmar Gabriel attended school in Goslar, and served as a soldier in the German Air Force from 1979 to 1981.<ref name=":1" /> He studied politics, sociology and German at the University of Göttingen from 1982 and passed the first state examination as a grammar school teacher in 1987 and the second state examination in 1989.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Political careerEdit

Gabriel joined the SPD in 1977 and soon held a number of positions in local politics. In 1990, he was first elected to the State Parliament of Lower Saxony, where he led the SPD parliamentary group from 1998 until 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Minister-President of Lower Saxony, 1999–2003Edit

On 15 December 1999, after the resignation of Gerhard Glogowski, who had succeeded Gerhard Schröder in office, Gabriel became Minister-President of Lower Saxony. He had previously won an internal party vote against Wolfgang Jüttner and Thomas Oppermann.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He served until 4 March 2003. During these years, he was widely presented as a protégé of Schröder, and even as a possible successor as chancellor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After being voted out of office in 2003, Gabriel became the SPD's "Representative for Pop Culture and Pop Discourse" from 2003 to 2005, for which he was bestowed the nickname Siggi Pop.<ref name="zeitde2010-02">Template:Cite news</ref>

Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, 2005–2009Edit

He was elected in Salzgitter – Wolfenbüttel in the 2005 federal election.

From 2005 to 2009 Gabriel was the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the first cabinet of Angela Merkel (CDU).

During his time in office, Gabriel promoted the International Renewable Energy Agency. He also led the German delegation to the 2006 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2007, when Germany held the presidency of the Council of the European Union, he led the negotiations between European Union environment ministers on an ambitious effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That same year, he accompanied Merkel on a two-day visit to Greenland to see the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier in order to get a firsthand look at the effects of global warming.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Opposition leader, 2009–2013Edit

Following the SPD's defeat in the federal election of 2009, Franz Müntefering resigned from the position of party chairman of the Social Democratic Party. Gabriel was nominated as his successor and was elected on 13 November 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was re-elected as party chairman for a further two years at the SPD party conference in Berlin on 5 December 2011, receiving 91.6 percent of the vote.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During his early years as chairman, Gabriel pushed through internal party reforms. He abolished the party steering committee in favor of an expanded executive committee and led the regular party conventions, the most important meetings for the party.<ref>Bettina Marx (14 December 2013), Sigmar Gabriel: Losing his way to the top Deutsche Welle.</ref> He also played a critical role in founding the Progressive Alliance in 2013 by canceling the SPD payment of its £100,000 yearly membership fee to the Socialist International in January 2012. Gabriel had been critical of the Socialist International's admittance and continuing inclusion of undemocratic "despotic" political movements into the organization.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

For the 2013 federal election, Gabriel was considered a possible candidate to challenge incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel but deemed too “unpopular and undisciplined” at the time.<ref>Noah Barkin (3 September 2012), Merkel's Opponents Struggle to Find Relevant Issues New York Times.</ref> As a consequence, he and the other members of the party's leadership agreed to nominate Peer Steinbrück after Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the party's parliamentary leader, withdrew from the contest.<ref>Melissa Eddy (28 September 2012), Merkel’s Ex-Finance Minister to Oppose Her New York Times.</ref>

During the election campaign, Gabriel became the first SPD leader to address a party convention of Alliance '90/The Greens; in his speech, he called for a red–green alliance to defeat Merkel in the elections.<ref>Erik Kirschbaum (27 April 2013), German SPD leader woos Greens for anti-Merkel alliance Reuters.</ref>

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister, 2013–2018Edit

File:Angela Merkel, Sigmar Gabriel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Christian Schmidt, Ursula von der Leyen (Tobias Koch).jpg

Sigmar Gabriel with Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier; in the background are Christian Schmidt and Ursula von der Leyen, 2014.

In 2013, Gabriel turned the Social Democrats’ third successive defeat to Angela Merkel in the federal election into a share of government, after successfully navigating the three-month process of coalition negotiations and a ballot of about 475,000 party members, who endorsed the accord.<ref name="bloomberg.com">Patrick Donahue (15 December 2013), Merkel’s Third-Term Cabinet: Social Democratic Party Ministers Bloomberg L.P..</ref> At the time, he was widely considered to have negotiated skillfully, particularly considering the relative weakness of his party, which had received just over 25 percent of the vote in the elections, against more than 41 percent for Merkel's conservative bloc.<ref>Alison Smale (14 December 2013), Social Democrats Secure a Third Term for Merkel New York Times.</ref>

At an SPD convention shortly after the elections, however, Gabriel and the other members of the party's leadership were punished by delegates who re-elected them to their posts with reduced majorities; he received 83.6 percent of members’ ballots after 91.6 percent at the previous vote in 2011.<ref>Brian Parkin and Birgit Jennen (15 November 2013), German SPD Chief Set to Sell Party on Merkel Coalition Bloomberg News.</ref>

Gabriel, who serves as vice-chancellor in the third Merkel cabinet, took on responsibility for Germany's energy overhaul as part of a newly configured Economy Ministry.<ref name="bloomberg.com"/> Since late 2016, he has been a member of the German government's cabinet committee on Brexit at which ministers discuss organizational and structural issues related to the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.<ref>Joseph Nasr (13 January 2017), Merkel to chair first Brexit committee meeting next week Reuters.</ref>

As Minister of the Economy in 2014, Gabriel tried to choke the exports of the German defence industry.<ref name="les1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Speculation about Gabriel's future as leader of the SPD has been brewing since he registered just 74 percent<ref name="ft.com">Stefan Wagstyl (13 July 2016), German court accuses Merkel rival Gabriel of ‘bias’ and ‘secrecy’ Financial Times.</ref> in a party delegates' vote of confidence in December 2015 – the lowest for an SPD leader in 20 years.<ref name="reuters.com">Caroline Copley (8 May 2016), Germany's Gabriel makes light of rumors he's stepping down Reuters.</ref> On 24 January 2017 Gabriel announced that we will not run as candidate for chancellor in 2017; instead, he proposed that Martin Schulz become candidate and replace him as party chairman.<ref name="Spiegel Online Jan 24">Florian Gathmann (24 January 2017), Gabriel übergibt an Schulz: Rumms Spiegel Online 24 Jan.</ref>

Gabriel also announced that he would succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He took office on 27 January 2017, the previous Parliamentary State Secretary Brigitte Zypries followed Gabriel as Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy.<ref name="Spiegel Online Jan 27">Spiegel Online (27 January 2017), l Wechsel im Kabinett: Gauck ernennt Gabriel und Zypries Spiegel Online 27 Jan.</ref>

At the Munich Security Conference in February 2017 Gabriel called on NATO members, rather than focus mainly on traditional defense, to focus more on the "root causes of conflict" such as "poverty and climate".<ref name=gebdw>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gabriel proposed in March 2017 that expenses such as development aid should be considered as part of the NATO 2% GDP defense expenditure guideline.<ref name="alozius21">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="rfe02.03">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=dw01.03>Template:Cite news</ref> NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg later responded that development aid cannot be part of defence spending.<ref name="reujs">Template:Cite news</ref>

As Foreign Minister Gabriel has said Germany's "arms will remain outstretched" to the US to continue the trans-Atlantic alliance between the two countries. However he has said that Germany will step into global markets the US abandons and take on a bigger role on the international stage if Donald Trump continues his protectionist and isolationist policies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Life after politicsEdit

Since leaving public office, Gabriel has taken on various paid and unpaid positions.

In 2018, Gabriel was among six of 11 candidates nominated by Siemens to join the board of directors of Siemens Alstom, a planned merger of two railway companies;<ref>Douglas Busvine (15 May 2018), Germany's ex-foreign minister to join board of Franco-German rail venture Reuters.</ref> he ended up not taking the office when the merger was prohibited by the European Commission amid competition concerns. Also in 2018, the German government's ethics committee rejected his request to join the supervisory board of Kulczyk Investments, citing potential conflict of interest.<ref>Arbeit für polnischen Konzern: Regierung verbot Gabriel Aufsichtsratsposten Tagesschau, 16 August 2019.</ref><ref>Germany bars ex-foreign minister from job with Polish firm Deutsche Welle, 16 August 2019.</ref> In 2019, he rejected an offer to become the head of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) after media reports that he was in line for the post caused a public outcry and prompted accusations of nepotism.<ref>Michael Nienaber (5 November 2019), Ex-foreign minister Gabriel rejects offer to head German auto lobby Reuters.</ref>

In June 2019 he said Donald Trump is right to criticize China and to negotiate with North Korea.<ref name=praise>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gabriel has been chairman of the Atlantic Bridge<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and member of the Trilateral Commission<ref>Trilateral Commission Membership List. In: trilateral.org.</ref> as well as the European Council on Foreign Relations.<ref>ECFR Council Membership. In: ecfr.eu.</ref> He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group since May 2018<ref>Gabriel takes post in crisis management think tank. In: wiwo.de, 25 May 2018.</ref> and since March 2019 the advisory board of Deloitte.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the summer semester of 2018, he was a lecturer at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and for three weeks in the fall of 2018 a visiting lecturer at Harvard University.<ref>Sigmar Gabriel is drawn to Harvard. In: faz.net, 30 May 2018.</ref> Since November 2019, he has been working at Eurasia Group as a political consultant.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 24 January 2020, Deutsche Bank nominated him for a seat on the supervisory board of its financial institution.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This announcement caused partly critical reactions. For example, Abgeordnetenwatch demanded a grace period of three years for such a change, arguing that it would harm the understanding of democracy if Gabriel less than two years after his departure as vice chancellor "now silvering his address book to Deutsche Bank, which he could fill so bulging only as a representative of the people". On 20 May 2020, Gabriel was elected as a member of the Integrity Committee of Deutsche Bank to the supervisory board of the same company. By his own account, Gabriel worked as a consultant for Tönnies Holding from March to the end of May 2020. According to Gabriel, he was to find out what trade restrictions were planned for meat products when exporting to Asia in the wake of African swine fever and how export permits could still be obtained.

Since 2020, the German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation has run the Sylke Tempel Fellowship program under Gabriel's auspices.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From 2021 to 2022, he was a member of the Trilateral Commission’s Task Force on Global Capitalism in Transition, chaired by Carl Bildt, Kelly Grier and Takeshi Niinami.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other activitiesEdit

Corporate boardsEdit

Rheinmetall, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2025)<ref>Jonas Jansen (5 December 2024), Rüstungskonzern: Sigmar Gabriel soll Rheinmetall-Aufsichtsrat werden Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.</ref>
Heristo, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2023)<ref>Nina Kallmeier (28 December 2023), Unternehmen aus Bad Rothenfelde: Sigmar Gabriel verstärkt den Aufsichtsrat bei heristo Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.</ref>
Bosch, Member of the International Advisory Committee (since 2022)<ref>2022 Annual Report Bosch.</ref>
Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Chair of the Supervisory Board (since 2022)<ref>New members of the supervisory board of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG: Sigmar Gabriel elected as Chairman of the Supervisory Board Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, press release of 7 April 2022.</ref>
Siemens Energy, Member of the supervisory board (since 2020)<ref>Thomas Fromm (26 May 2020), Scheidung nach Siemens-Art Süddeutsche Zeitung.</ref>
Deutsche Bank, Member of the supervisory board (since 2020)<ref>Ex-SPD-Chef: Sigmar Gabriel wird Aufsichtsrat der Deutschen Bank Süddeutsche Zeitung, 24 January 2020.</ref><ref>Tom Sims (24 January 2020), Deutsche Bank names prominent German politician to supervisory board Reuters.</ref>
Eurasia Group, Senior Advisor (since 2019)<ref>Sigmar Gabriel, Former Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, joins Eurasia Group as Senior Advisor Eurasia Group, press release of 12 November 2019.</ref><ref>Torsten Riecke (12 November 2019), Sigmar Gabriel wird Politikberater der US-Denkfabrik Eurasia Group Handelsblatt.</ref>
Deloitte Germany, Member of the advisory board (since 2019)<ref>Advisory Board Deloitte.</ref><ref>Matthias Gebauer (3 March 2019), Rastloser Politiker: Ex-Minister Gabriel hat neuen Nebenjob Der Spiegel.</ref>
KfW, ex-officio Member of the Board of Supervisory Directors (2013-2018)
RAG-Stiftung, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2013-2017)
Volkswagen, Member of the supervisory board (1999-2003)

Non-profitsEdit

Peace of Westphalia Prize, Member of the Jury (since 2022)<ref>Jury Template:Webarchive Wirtschaftliche Gesellschaft für Westfalen und Lippe.</ref>
Bonner Akademie für Forschung und Lehre praktischer Politik (BAPP), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2009)<ref>Bundesminister a.D. Sigmar Gabriel, MdB wird in das Kuratorium der Bonner Akademie berufen Bonner Akademie für Forschung und Lehre praktischer Politik (BAPP), press release of 16 January 2019.</ref>
German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW), Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2018)
European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member (since 2018)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

International Crisis Group, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)
Trilateral Commission, Member of the European Group (since 2018)<ref>Membership Template:Webarchive Trilateral Commission.</ref>
Denkwerk Demokratie, Member of the Advisory Board
Deutsche Nationalstiftung, Member of the Senate<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), Member<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Til Schweiger Foundation, Member of the Advisory Board<ref>About Us Til Schweiger Foundation.</ref>
World Economic Forum (WEF), Member of the Global Future Council on Geopolitics (2018-2019)<ref>Global Future Council on Geopolitics World Economic Forum (WEF).</ref>
Aktion Deutschland Hilft (Germany's Relief Coalition), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (2017-2018)<ref>Sigmar Gabriel übernimmt Vorsitz im Kuratorium von „Aktion Deutschland Hilft“Aktion Deutschland Hilft, press release of 19 April 2017.</ref>
Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Deputy Chairman (2005–2009)
German Energy Agency (DENA), Member of the supervisory board (2005–2009)
Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Member of the Board of Trustees (2005–2009)
IG Metall, Member
Lions Club, Member

Political positionsEdit

Foreign policyEdit

File:President Rouhani meeting German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Saadabad Palace 139404291812348335724664.jpg

Gabriel meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, 16 July 2015.

Gabriel has been staunchly against German soldiers remaining in Afghanistan. In 2010, he called for an independent assessment that would determine whether the U.S. counter-insurgency strategy would succeed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, he voted in favor of extending German participation in the NATO-led security mission ISAF in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, Gabriel participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Israel in Jerusalem in March 2008.<ref>Bilateral agreements reached at first Israeli-German intergovernmental consultations Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press release of 17 March 2008.</ref> In 2012, after having visited Hebron and the Palestinian territories, he said the Palestinians in those areas were systematically discriminated against and called Israel an "Apartheid Regime".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While German members of parliament call out Iran's human rights violations and Nazanin Boniadi, advocate for the Center for Human Rights in Iran, described "systemic gender apartheid" where women advocating equal rights are regularly imprisoned, homosexuality is illegal and can carry the death penalty,<ref>Deutsche Welle 18/06/2018.]</ref> Gabriel became the first top level German government visitor to Iran in 13 years<ref name="auto">Gernot Heller (20 July 2015), Germany, Iran pledge to revive economic ties after long freeze Reuters.</ref> as well as the first senior figure from any large western country's government to visit the country since it struck an agreement on its nuclear program, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, only days earlier.<ref>Germany: Economic ties with Iran depend on improving relations with Israel Haaretz, 19 July 2015.</ref> Travelling with a delegation of German industry representatives keen to move back into the Iranian market, he met with President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh.<ref name="auto"/>

In one of the strongest comments by Germany to push for a federal solution for Ukraine, Gabriel told German weekly Welt am Sonntag in August 2014 that a federal structure was the only option to resolve pro-Russian unrest in the country. He added that Germany's priority was to prevent direct conflict between Russia and its southern neighbour.<ref>Roman Olearchyk and Jeevan Vasagar (23 August 2014), Germany urges Ukraine to accept federal solution with separatists Financial Times.</ref> Commenting on the international sanctions regime against Russia, Gabriel stated in early 2015 that “we want to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine but don’t want to force Russia to its knees.”<ref>Henry Meyer and Volodymyr Verbyany (4 January 2015), Ukraine in Talks With Rebels on Prisoner Exchange, RIA Says Bloomberg News.</ref> He later suggested that Europe consider easing sanctions in exchange for cooperation in Syria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ukrainian-American historian Alexander J. Motyl has accused Gabriel of "appeasement" and "a complete betrayal of everything democratic socialists claim to stand for."<ref name=Motyl1606020>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2015, amid the European migrant crisis, Gabriel visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan to learn more about the plight of Syrians fleeing the violence in the ongoing Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gabriel publicly urged Saudi Arabia to stop supporting religious radicals, amid growing concern among about the country's funding of Wahhabi mosques in Germany which are accused of breeding dangerous Islamists.<ref>Madeline Chambers (6 December 2015), German Vice Chancellor warns Saudi Arabia over Islamist funding Reuters.</ref>

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Gabriel and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington, D.C., 17 May 2017

In January 2016, Gabriel participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the governments of Germany and Turkey in Berlin.<ref>Erste Deutsch-Türkische Regierungskonsultationen in Berlin Federal Government of Germany, press release of 15 January 2016.</ref> Later that year, he called any accession of Turkey to the European Union in the near term an "illusion."<ref>Turkish EU accession far off, says Gabriel Deutsche Welle, 8 August 2016.</ref>

After the G7 summit in 2017, Gabriel stated that the United States, with Donald Trump as president, has "weakened" the West and that the balance of power has now shifted. The remark comes days after Merkel stated, in an apparent policy shift, that "Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2017, Gabriel criticized the draft of new U.S. sanctions against Russia that target EU–Russia energy projects, including Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In a joint statement Gabriel and Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern said that "Europe's energy supply is a matter for Europe, and not for the United States of America."<ref>"Germany, Austria Slam US Sanctions Against Russia". U.S. News. 15 June 2017.</ref> They also said: "To threaten companies from Germany, Austria and other European states with penalties on the U.S. market if they participate in natural gas projects such as Nord Stream 2 with Russia or finance them introduces a completely new and very negative quality into European-American relations."<ref>"Germany and Austria warn US over expanded Russia sanctions". Politico. 15 June 2017.</ref>

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Gabriel during the MSC 2018

Gabriel is a supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations, and the creation of a more accountable international political system. He argued the U.N. needed to be made "more effective, transparent, and democratic through a reform of its structures and decision-making procedures".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2018, Gabriel accused Russia and China of trying to "undermine" the liberal Western world order. He said that "Nobody should attempt to divide the European Union: not Russia, not China and also not the United States."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2018, Gabriel said that "Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians experienced unfathomable suffering in World War II. We have a responsibility there."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2018, after his departure as German foreign minister, Gabriel published an opinion piece about the future of the relations between Turkey (under AKP rule) and the West, where he advocated for an inclusive stance towards Turkey and criticized the policy of the United States in that regard.<ref>Die Türkei und der Westen nach Afrin: Afrin ist eine Botschaft an die USA (in German, "Turkey and the West after Afrin: Afrin is a message for the USA"), causa.tagesspiegel.de, 24 March 2018</ref> In February 2020, he joined around fifty former European prime ministers and foreign ministers in signing an open letter published by British newspaper The Guardian to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, saying it would create an apartheid-like situation in occupied Palestinian territory.<ref>Grave concern about US plan to resolve Israel-Palestine conflict The Guardian, 27 February 2020.</ref><ref>Elizabeth Howcroft (27 February 2020), Former European leaders say Trump's Middle East peace plan akin to apartheid Reuters.</ref>

Economic policyEdit

On the occasion of the G20 summit in 2011, Gabriel joined Ed Miliband, the leader of the UK's Labour Party, and Håkan Juholt, the chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, in suggesting a “new deal” for economic growth. They also said G20 leaders should commit to the introduction of a financial transaction tax for all major financial centers and an agreement to separate consumer and investment banking.<ref>Angela Cullen (3 November 2011), German, U.K., Swedish Left Calls for G20 Deal, Handelsblatt Says Bloomberg L.P..</ref>

In a letter to the European Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht, Gabriel stated in March 2014 that “special investment-protection provisions are not required in an agreement between the E.U. and the U.S” on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).<ref>James Kanter (27 March 2014), E.U. Tries to Assuage Fears Over U.S. Trade Deal New York Times.</ref> Instead, he later called for a public trade and investment court to replace the current system of private arbitration, and to enable appeals against arbitration rulings.<ref>Benjamin Fox (6 May 2015), EU unveils plans for global investor court EUobserver.</ref> Meanwhile, he has continuously warned against overblowing expectations for an economic boost from TTIP but maintained that the pact was needed to set high common standards for consumers.<ref>Madeline Chambers (11 April 2015), German economy minister plays down boost from EU-U.S. trade deal: magazine Reuters.</ref> By August 2016, Gabriel said talks on TTIP had "de facto" failed.<ref name="Caroline Copley 2016">Caroline Copley (16 September 2016), Germany's Gabriel faces crunch vote over EU-Canada trade deal Reuters.</ref>

In September 2014, Gabriel rejected the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement clause in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, prompting a renegotiation that delayed the entry into force of the agreement.<ref>Jonathan Stearns (29 September 2014), Malmstroem Warns Germany Against Altering EU-Canada Pact Bloomberg Businessweek.</ref> Following the renegotiations, he championed CETA to demonstrate the center-left party's business credentials.<ref name="Caroline Copley 2016"/>

In a 2014 meeting with French economist Thomas Piketty, whose best-selling work Capital in the Twenty-First Century calls for a wealth tax, Gabriel rejected such a progressive levy on capital as “crazy” for business. He also argued that a wealth tax would generate no more than 8 billion euros ($9.9 billion) a year.<ref>Patrick Donahue (7 November 2014), Merkel Deputy Tells Piketty Wealth Tax Is Dead in Germany Bloomberg Businessweek.</ref>

Together with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Gabriel presented a joint proposal in 2015 to set up a common eurozone budget.<ref>Michel Rose (25 November 2015), Franco-German risk fund could be set up in weeks if political will: source Reuters.</ref>

Energy policyEdit

Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Gabriel harshly criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying it had promoted “the construction of nuclear plants in all parts of the world, even in war and crisis regions. That needs to stop.”<ref>Judy Dempsey (13 March 2011), Japan's Nuclear Crisis Stokes Fear in Europe International Herald Tribune.</ref>

In 2015, Gabriel opposed a European Commission proposal for regional power-capacity markets, according to which utilities are paid for providing backup electricity at times when power generated by renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, cannot supply the grid. A free market backstopped by an emergency reserve will be cheaper and work just as well as capacity markets, Gabriel told Handelsblatt.<ref>Stefan Nicola, Tino Andresen and Weixin Zha (20 January 2015), Germany’s EON Facing Off With Merkel Over Capacity Market Bloomberg News.</ref> He later warned against a hasty exit from coal-fired power generation, concerned that such a move could pile more pressure on producers still wrestling with the planned shutdown of nuclear plants by 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Arms exportsEdit

Early in his tenure as Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, Gabriel vowed a much more cautious approach to licensing arms exports, unnerving the sizeable defense industry and signaling a change in policy from the previous coalition government under which sales rose.<ref>Alexandra Hudson and Thorsten Severin (18 May 2014), German economy minister pledges to restrict arms exports Reuters.</ref> In August 2014, he withdrew permission for Rheinmetall to build a military training center east of Moscow.<ref>Rainer Buergin and Richard Weiss (4 August 2014), Germany Blocks Rheinmetall Sale of Russian Combat Center Bloomberg L.P..</ref>

Gabriel was bound by pledges to his SPD to reduce arms sales to states that abuse human rights and the rule of law or where such sales may contribute to political instability. He stated that controls over the final destination of small arms sold to such nations are still insufficient.<ref>Brian Parkin (15 October 2014), German Arms-Exports Permit Crackdown Hits Airbus, Heckler & Koch Bloomberg Businessweek.</ref> However, he also indicated that the government would not universally block deals with countries outside of Germany's traditional alliances. Deals with such countries could be approved because of "special foreign-policy or security interests."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In late 2015, his ministry approved a merger of German tank maker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) with the French armoured vehicle maker Nexter.<ref>Michael Nienaber (4 December 2015), Germany approves merger of tank maker KMW with French Nexter Reuters.</ref> Gabriel has been criticized by opposition leaders and the press for failing to prevent several deals that resulted in a significant rise in German arms exports during his tenure,<ref>German Weapons Exports Reached Highest Level on Record in 2015 in: wsj.com, updated 6 July 2016</ref><ref>Germany's cabinet approved record-breaking arms exports in: dw.com, 24 January 2018</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> although a paradigm shift (lifting of the prohibition against arms exports in zones of war and crisis) already occurred before that.<ref>Waffenexporte: Die Merkel-Doktrin, (in German) fr.de, 1. August 2012</ref><ref>Rüstungsexport: Leo geht in die Wüste (in German, "Arms exports: The Leo goes into the desert"), zeit.de, 8 December 2011</ref>

Digital policyEdit

In May 2014, Gabriel and France's economy and digital minister Arnaud Montebourg sent the European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquín Almunia, a letter criticizing the settlement of a three-year antitrust probe into Google;<ref>Aoife White (23 May 2014), Google Settlement Is Defended by EU’s Almunia After Criticism Bloomberg L.P..</ref> Gabriel later “warmly welcomed” the launch of EU antitrust charges against Google in April 2015.<ref>Jeevan Vasagar (15 April 2015), Google’s foes in Germany and France cheer antitrust charges Financial Times.</ref>

In September 2014, Gabriel called Google, Amazon.com and Apple Inc. “anti-social” for skirting appropriate taxation.<ref>Cornelius Rahn, Brian Parkin and Stephanie Bodoni (14 October 2014), Google’s Schmidt to Soothe Rattled Germans in Berlin Talks Template:Dead link Template:Cbignore Bloomberg Businessweek.</ref> In early 2015, Gabriel and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron wrote in a joint letter to Vice-President of the European Commission Andrus Ansip that the growing power of some online giants “warrants a policy consultation with the aim of establishing an appropriate general regulatory framework for ‘essential digital platforms.’”<ref>Disconnected Continent The Economist, 9 May 2015.</ref>

In 2016, during a series of Chinese bids for German engineering firms, Gabriel publicly called for a European-wide safeguard clause which could stop foreign takeovers of firms whose technology is deemed strategic for the future economic success of the region.<ref>Caroline Copley (9 June 2016), Germany's Gabriel seeks EU rule to block foreign takeover of key technologies Reuters.</ref>

Human rightsEdit

In April 2014, human rights lawyer Mo Shaoping was blocked from meeting Gabriel during his visit to China, despite the minister saying ahead of the meeting that he wanted to meet critical voices.<ref>Clifford Coonan (24 April 2014), Chinese human rights lawyer blocked from meeting German vice-chancellor The Irish Times.</ref>

During a 2015 visit to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Gabriel launched an unusual public effort to persuade Saudi authorities to free imprisoned writer Raif Badawi and grant him clemency, amplifying Germany’s political voice in a region in which its influence had largely been limited to economic issues in years past.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite news</ref> He had been urged by MPs and human rights organizations to take up Badawi's case before his trip.<ref>Blogger lashing: Saudi rejects criticism of Badawi case BBC News, 8 March 2015.</ref> His outspoken criticism of Saudi justice was unusual for Western leaders visiting the country, a close ally for the West in fighting terrorism and Islamic State militants, particularly given Germany’s status as Saudi Arabia’s third-largest source of imports.<ref name="auto1"/> While the U.S. State Department had previously also criticized the Badawi sentence, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry did not talk about the case publicly when he visited Riyadh only days before.<ref name="auto1"/>

During a subsequent trip to Qatar, Gabriel called on the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and other senior officials to do better in protecting foreign household workers who face abuse from their employers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ControversyEdit

Thilo SarrazinEdit

In 2010, Gabriel called the speeches of Thilo Sarrazin, his party colleague who wrote critically about immigration by accusing Muslims of refusing to integrate and of “dumbing down” German society,<ref name="German Banker Resigns Amid Outcry">Michal Slackman (9 September 2010), German Banker Resigns Amid Outcry New York Times.</ref> "verbal violence". He stated that although Sarrazin described many things that were accurate, his conclusions did not fit into the egalitarian “ideals” of Social Democracy anymore.<ref name="German Banker Resigns Amid Outcry"/>

Kaiser’s takeoverEdit

In 2016, a German court nullified Gabriel's controversial decision to grant a special permission for the country's biggest supermarket chain Edeka to buy grocery store chain Kaiser's, owned by Tengelmann Group. The judges raised questions about the minister's "bias and a lack of neutrality" in the case, saying he had held secret discussion during the decision making process.<ref name="ft.com"/><ref>Tina Bellon (12 July 2016), German court halts Edeka takeover of Kaiser's chain Reuters.</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Gabriel has a daughter, Saskia, born in 1989, with his former girlfriend, who is of Jewish origin and whose grandparents were murdered in Auschwitz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gabriel was subsequently married to his former high school student Munise Demirel, who is of Turkish origin, from 1989 to 1998, and they had no children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2012 he married dentist Anke Stadler, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2008; their daughter Marie was born in 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His daughter Thea was born on 4 March 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2016, Gabriel underwent bariatric surgery in Offenbach to shrink his stomach and help manage his diabetes.<ref name="auto2">Holger Hansen and Madeline Chambers (5 January 2017), SPD leader Gabriel expected to challenge Merkel in German: sources Reuters.</ref>