Overview
- The chancellery described Jacob Schrot’s exit as a mutual separation, though multiple reports say party insiders pressed Friedrich Merz to act.
- Philipp Birkenmaier, 50, a lawyer and long‑time figure in the CDU’s economic wing and former federal managing director, is tasked with strengthening economic and domestic policy capacity around Merz.
- Schrot, 35, had built the new National Security Council and was seen as tightly gatekeeping access to the chancellor, contributing to complaints about bottlenecks.
- Kanzleramtsminister Thorsten Frei remains in office despite criticism over management lapses, leading some observers to view Schrot’s removal as largely symbolic.
- Birkenmaier’s move pulls a key organizer from party headquarters in an election year, as Merz signals a 2026 reform push with appearances in Seeon and at a CDU board meeting in Mainz.