93.5%
CDU/CSU group vote electing him First Parliamentary Secretary on 5 May 2025, the same day Jens Spahn was elected chair with 91.3%.
Record · Ledger by era
Political record
Thirty years of party and parliamentary office in one ledger: what Steffen Bilger was elected or appointed to, by what margin, what is documented about his decisions in each role, and how supporters and critics have assessed him. Figures come from the Federal Returning Officer, the Bundestag and the CDU/CSU group.
1996Joined the CDU and Junge Union
5Consecutive direct mandates in Ludwigsburg, 2009–2025
93.5%Vote in the CDU/CSU group electing him First Parliamentary Secretary, 5 May 2025
2026Federal Minister for Transport from 29 July
Era by era
The ledger of offices
Five eras. Each table lists the offices of that period with dates as given by the Bundestag; where his own website or Wikipedia differ, the note says so. Narrative versions are on the linked career pages.
I
Party apprenticeship
| Period | Office | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Joins CDU and Junge Union | BMV CV; own website |
| 1998–1999 | State chair, Schüler Union Baden-Württemberg | Own website |
| 1998–2000 | Federal managing director, Schüler Union Deutschlands | Own website |
| 2002–2007 | District chair, Junge Union North Württemberg | Own website |
| 2004–2007 | Chair of Jung-Weikersheim | Resigned in April 2007 in protest at a planned event; see criticism |
| 2006–2011 | State chair, Junge Union Baden-Württemberg | Re-elected 2008, 2009, 2010 |
II
Backbench and committees
| Period | Office | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2013 | Transport, Building and Urban Development Committee; Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development; Enquete Commission on growth and quality of life | Deputy chair of the Junge Gruppe from 2009 |
| Since 2011 | Chair, CDU district association North Württemberg | Elected 1 October 2011 |
| 2013–2017 | Transport and Digital Infrastructure Committee; Joint Committee; chair of the bpb Board of Trustees | Also on the rail infrastructure advisory council |
| 2014 – Feb 2018 | Chair of the Junge Gruppe of the CDU/CSU group | Wikipedia gives January 2018 |
| 2017 – Mar 2018 | Mediation Committee of Bundestag and Bundesrat | His website and Wikipedia say from 2016 |
III
In government
| Period | Office | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2018 – Dec 2021 | Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Transport (Andreas Scheuer) | Roads, cars, alternative drives, aviation, digitalisation; left his committees on 14 March 2018 |
| Apr 2018 – 2021 | Federal Government Coordinator for Freight Transport and Logistics | Confirmed by cabinet, April 2018 |
IV
Group leadership
| Period | Office | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2021 – May 2025 | Deputy Chair of the CDU/CSU group (in opposition) | Environment, nature conservation, agriculture and food |
| 2022–2026 | Member of the CDU federal executive | Per his website and Wikipedia |
| Spring 2025 | Lead negotiator, rural areas/agriculture/food/environment | Coalition talks with the SPD |
| May 2025 – Jul 2026 | First Parliamentary Secretary (Erster Parlamentarischer Geschäftsführer) | Elected with 93.5% on 5 May 2025 |
V
Cabinet
| Date | Event | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 2026 | Announced as Transport Minister | After the original candidate declined and Patrick Schnieder asked to be dismissed |
| 29 Jul 2026 | Appointed by the Federal President; ministry handover | Schloss Bellevue, then the ministry |
| 8 Sep 2026 | Oath of office in the Bundestag; first budget speech | Before President of the Bundestag Julia Klöckner |
| 7 Oct 2026 | Autobahn financing bill adopted by cabinet | Parliamentary procedure to follow |
Majorities
Votes he won, and votes he organised
Two kinds of number shape a parliamentary career: the voters' verdict in the constituency, and the colleagues' verdict in internal elections. A third, as group manager, was the coalition's majority on the floor.
| Election | Bilger | Share | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 39.9% | Jan Mönikes (SPD) 22.6% | |
| 2013 | 50.4% | Macit Karaahmetoğlu (SPD) 21.2% | |
| 2017 | 38.3% | Macit Karaahmetoğlu (SPD) 17.8% | |
| 2021 | 29.5% | Sandra Detzer (Greens) 20.3% | |
| 2025 | 36.5% | Martin Hess (AfD) 16.9% |
318
Yes votes for the pensions package on 5 December 2025, two above the absolute majority, after weeks of dispute with the group's younger MPs.
11 Jul 2025
His motion to take three constitutional judge elections off the agenda passed with CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens and Left in favour and the AfD against.
77.5%
Turnout in Ludwigsburg in 2013, the year of his best result, according to the Federal Returning Officer.
Section C — documented decisions and positions
What the record shows he decided or argued
Across his career the documented record is consistent on several themes: a preference for "technology openness" over bans in car and climate policy, scepticism of the Greens' energy and agriculture policies in opposition, and, as minister, a focus on making the railways reliable and motorway funding predictable.
As state secretary and logistics coordinator, 2018–2021
On becoming logistics coordinator in April 2018 he said he would work to cut emissions in freight and support shifting transport to rail and waterways, and aimed to draw up an "Innovation Programme Logistics 2030" with the industry. In September 2018 he argued that transport policy was being discussed "too ideologically" and that anyone who "demonises diesel" had not thought it through. The car-toll (Pkw-Maut) contracts were concluded at the end of 2018, during his term, and were later declared contrary to EU law by the European Court of Justice; no source assigns him personal responsibility.
As deputy group chair, 2021–2025
In opposition he spoke for the group on environment and agriculture. He criticised the transfer of climate policy from the Environment to the Economics Ministry in January 2022, called the shutdown of the last nuclear plants in April 2023 "a victory of ideological stubbornness over practical reason", and sharply criticised Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir. In 2025 he led the Union's negotiators on agriculture and environment in the coalition talks.
As First Parliamentary Secretary, 2025–2026
His role was to secure majorities. The record includes the judge-election motion of July 2025, after which he admitted the Union "should have acted differently", and the pensions package of December 2025. In October 2025 he argued for loosening the EU's 2035 phase-out of new combustion-engine cars.
As minister, since July 2026
His early statements centre on rail reliability (linking managers' bonuses to punctuality), dissatisfaction with how corridor renovations have been carried out, rejection of a general motorway speed limit, support for the Deutschlandticket price rise as necessary to keep services, and the Autobahn financing bill. See statements, speeches and political positions.
Assessment
Strengths and criticisms, as documented
Neither column is this site's verdict. Each point is attributed to the people or outlets that made it.
Credited strengths
- Organisation and reliability. On his nomination, Euronews reported he was described internally as "reliable and organisationally strong" (translation).
- Group management. Schwäbische reported in July 2026 that the CDU praised his management of the parliamentary group in the coalition's first fifteen months.
- Electoral durability. Five direct mandates in a row, including through the Union's weak 2021 result.
- Communication as minister. Handelsblatt wrote in August 2026 that he was delivering the public communication the Chancellor had missed under his predecessor.
- Subject experience. Transport committee member from 2009 to 2018 and state secretary in the ministry from 2018 to 2021.
Documented criticisms
- Environmental policy. Environmental groups and the Greens have criticised his defence of diesel and combustion engines and his rejection of a speed limit.
- The DUH motion (2018). ARD's Monitor questioned his district association's motion to strip Environmental Action Germany of its charitable status.
- Judge election (2025). The failed vote was widely criticised; he admitted mistakes by the group leadership.
- Rail funding (2026). Rail associations and opposition parties criticised cuts in the 2027 draft budget, including support for rail freight.
- Manner of appointment. The Left called the change of minister a "political farce"; constitutional lawyers questioned the six-week delay before his oath.
Each item is set out with context and responses on criticism and controversies.
Official records elsewhere
Member profile
Biography, memberships, declared outside functions, speeches and votes.
bundestag.deCabinet profile
Official CV as Federal Minister for Transport.
bundesregierung.deBMV biography
The ministry's page on its minister, with press releases and interviews.
bmv.dePolitical stations
His own list of offices, including party roles.
steffen-bilger.deSources
- Deutscher Bundestag — Biography of Steffen Bilger, 21st term
- Deutscher Bundestag — Biography, 19th term (web archive)
- Deutscher Bundestag — Biography, 20th term (web archive)
- Steffen Bilger — Politische Stationen
- Wikipedia (German) — Steffen Bilger
- Wikipedia — Bundestagswahlkreis Ludwigsburg
- Federal Returning Officer — Ludwigsburg 2021
- Federal Returning Officer — Ludwigsburg 2025
- CDU/CSU-Fraktion via presseportal — Leadership elections (5 May 2025)
- VerkehrsRundschau — New state secretaries (11 Apr 2018)
- eurotransport — Interview (7 Sep 2018)
- Deutscher Bundestag — Debate on the government's planned environment policy (12 Jan 2022)
- Deutscher Bundestag — Aktuelle Stunde on nuclear power (19 Apr 2023)
- top agrar — Bilger on Özdemir (15 Feb 2023)
- Deutscher Bundestag — Geschäftsordnungsdebatte (11 Jul 2025)
- Stuttgarter Zeitung — Bilger on the judge election (24 Jul 2025)
- Berliner Zeitung — Bilger on the combustion-engine phase-out (8 Oct 2025)
- t-online — Rentenpaket vote (5 Dec 2025)
- Euronews — Regierungsumbildung: Steffen Bilger Verkehrsminister (27 Jul 2026)
- Schwäbische — Bilger löst Schnieder ab (Jul 2026)
- Handelsblatt — Bilger liefert, was der Kanzler bei Schnieder vermisste (Aug 2026)
- Pfalz-Express (dts) — Bilger und Linnemann als Minister vereidigt (8 Sep 2026)
- Deutscher Bundestag — Transport budget debate (8 Sep 2026)