# Karin Prien

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{{Short description|German lawyer and politician (born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Karin Prien
| image               = Karin Prien at Republica25 2025-05-28 01 (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Prien in 2025
| birth_name          = Karin Kraus
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1965|6|26|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [Amsterdam](/source/Amsterdam), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands)
| citizenship         = Germany
| party               = [Christian Democratic Union](/source/Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany) (since 1981)
| spouse              = Jochen Prien
| children            = 3
| alma_mater          = [University of Bonn](/source/University_of_Bonn)
| occupation          = [Lawyer](/source/Lawyer) • [Politician](/source/Politician)
| office              = [Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth](/source/Federal_Ministry_for_Education%2C_Family_Affairs%2C_Senior_Citizens%2C_Women_and_Youth)
| chancellor          = [Friedrich Merz](/source/Friedrich_Merz)
| term_start          = 6 May 2025
| predecessor         = [Cem Özdemir](/source/Cem_%C3%96zdemir) <small>(as Minister of Education and Research)</small><br>[Lisa Paus](/source/Lisa_Paus) <small>(as Minister of Family, Seniors, Women and Youth)</small>
| office1             = [Deputy Leader of the<br>Christian Democratic Union](/source/Leader_of_the_Christian_Democratic_Union)
| leader1             = [Friedrich Merz](/source/Friedrich_Merz)
| alongside1          = {{ubl|[Silvia Breher](/source/Silvia_Breher)|[Michael Kretschmer](/source/Michael_Kretschmer)|[Karl-Josef Laumann](/source/Karl-Josef_Laumann)|[Andreas Jung](/source/Andreas_Jung)}}
| term_start1         = 31 January 2022
| predecessor1        = [Julia Klöckner](/source/Julia_Kl%C3%B6ckner)
| office2             = [Minister for Education, Training, Science, Research and Culture of Schleswig-Holstein](/source/Second_G%C3%BCnther_cabinet)
| term_start2         = 28 June 2017
| term_end2           = 7 May 2025
| predecessor2        = [Britta Ernst](/source/Britta_Ernst)
| successor2          = Dorit Stenke
| 1blankname2         = Minister-President
| 1namedata2          = [Daniel Günther](/source/Daniel_G%C3%BCnther)
| office3             = Member of the [Hamburg Parliament](/source/Hamburg_Parliament)
| term_start3         = 20 February 2011
| term_end3           = 28 June 2017
| constituency3       = [Altona](/source/Altona%2C_Hamburg)
}}

'''Karin Prien''' ({{née}} '''Kraus'''; born 26 June 1965) is a German lawyer and politician of the [Christian Democratic Union](/source/Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany) (CDU) who has been serving as [Federal Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth](/source/Federal_Ministry_for_Education%2C_Family_Affairs%2C_Senior_Citizens%2C_Women_and_Youth) in the [government](/source/Merz_cabinet) of [Chancellor](/source/Chancellor_of_Germany) [Friedrich Merz](/source/Friedrich_Merz) since 2025; she is the first woman of [Jewish ancestry](/source/History_of_the_Jews_in_Germany) to head a ministry in a [post-war German](/source/West_Germany) government.<ref>Christopher F. Schuetze (6 May 2025), [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/world/europe/germany-new-government.html What to Know About the Formation of Germany’s New Government] ''[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)''.</ref>

From 2017 to 2025, Prien served as State Minister of Education, Science and Culture of [Schleswig-Holstein](/source/Schleswig-Holstein) in the [government](/source/First_G%C3%BCnther_cabinet) of [Minister-President](/source/Minister-President) [Daniel Günther](/source/Daniel_G%C3%BCnther). Since 2022, she has been one of four deputy chairs of the CDU, under the leadership of chairman [Friedrich Merz](/source/Friedrich_Merz).<ref>[https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Prien-als-Stellvertreterin-von-CDU-Chef-Merz-gewaehlt,cdu1624.html Prien als Stellvertreterin von CDU-Chef Merz gewähl] ''[Norddeutscher Rundfunk](/source/Norddeutscher_Rundfunk)'', 22 January 2022.</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Born in [Amsterdam](/source/Amsterdam), Prien is Jewish and first grew up in the Netherlands, where her maternal grandparents had fled in the early 1930s before the emergence of [National Socialism](/source/National_Socialism) in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|title=Karin Prien: "Da war ich politisch erst mal mausetot"|periodical=|publisher=Hamburger Abendblatt|url=https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article207472089/Karin-Prien-Da-war-ich-politisch-erst-mal-mausetot.html|access-date=27 March 2019|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=16 April 2016|language=de|pages=|quote=}}</ref> She later moved to Germany.

After graduation ([Abitur](/source/Abitur)) in 1984 in [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate), Prien studied law and political science in [Bonn](/source/Bonn). From 1986 to 1989, she was a student assistant of [Friedbert Pflüger](/source/Friedbert_Pfl%C3%BCger), then the press secretary of the Federal President [Richard von Weizsäcker](/source/Richard_von_Weizs%C3%A4cker). She took the first ''[Staatsexamen](/source/Staatsexamen)'' in 1989, which was followed by the [''LL.M.''](/source/Master_of_Laws) after postgraduate studies in Amsterdam in 1991 and the second ''Staatsexamen'' in [Celle](/source/Celle) in 1994.

==Early career==
Since 1994, Prien has been an independent lawyer specializing in [commercial](/source/commercial_law) and [insolvency](/source/insolvency) law in [Hanover](/source/Hanover), [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig) and [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg). Since 2008, she has been a certified lawyer for commercial and [corporate law](/source/corporate_law), and also a [mediator](/source/Mediation) since 2011.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170907213526/http://www.prinzenberg-partner.de/anwaelte/karin-prien ''Karin Prien LL.'']</ref><ref>[http://www.karin-prien.de/home/?page_id=306 Wo komme ich her] karin-prien.de, retrieved 26 September 2017.</ref>

==Political career==
===Early beginnings===
Prien became a member of the CDU in 1981. She was from 2004 to April 2012 deputy CDU local chairwoman in [Blankenese](/source/Blankenese), from 2006 Deputy District Chairwoman in the district association [Altona](/source/Altona%2C_Hamburg)-Elbvororte, and since 2010 a member of the CDU state executive committee. From January 2014 she had been local chairwoman of the CDU in Blankenese, an office she passed on to Johann Riekers after her move to Schleswig-Holstein.<ref>{{cite web|title=CDU-Blankenese – Homepage des CDU Ortsverbandes Blankenese|periodical=|publisher=|url=http://www1.cdu-blankenese.de/|format=|accessdate=4 December 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205005209/http://www1.cdu-blankenese.de/|archivedate=5 December 2018|last=|date=|year=|language=de-DE|pages=|quote=|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition, Prien is chairwoman of the Jewish Forum of the CDU.

===Member of the Hamburg Parliament, 2011–2017===
As a candidate of the CDU in her constituency of Blankenese, Prien was elected to the Hamburg state parliament in 2011 for the first time. She was a political spokeswoman for the CDU parliamentary group and a member of the parliamentary group's leadership.

In the [2015 state election](/source/2015_Hamburg_state_election), Prien again won a direct mandate in the constituency of Blankenese with 11.5 percent of the votes. In the parliament, she was a member of the Budget Committee, the Constitution and District Committee, the School Committee and the Committee on Social Affairs, Labor and Integration. She was Deputy Group Chair and Specialist for the School and Constitution of the CDU. In the course of her change to the state government of Schleswig-Holstein, she resigned in June 2017 from the Hamburg Parliament; her parliament mandate was taken over by Wolfhard Ploog.<ref>{{cite web|title=Designierte Bildungsministerin: Hamburgs CDU verliert eine weitere Frau – WELT|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://www.welt.de/regionales/hamburg/article165551384/Hamburgs-CDU-verliert-eine-weitere-Frau.html|accessdate=7 July 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/kommunales/article211018437/Zweikampf-in-der-Hamburger-CDU-um-Prien-Nachfolge.html|title=Zweikampf in der Hamburger CDU um Prien-Nachfolge}}</ref>

=== State Minister of Education in Schleswig-Holstein, 2017–2025===
After formation of a [Jamaica coalition](/source/Jamaica_coalition_(politics)) of CDU, FDP and Greens in the wake of the [2017 Schleswig-Holstein state election](/source/2017_Schleswig-Holstein_state_election), Prien was appointed Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Schleswig-Holstein on 28 June 2017 and became part of the state government of Minister-President Günther.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ministerin Karin Prien |url=https://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/Landesregierung/III/Ministerin/_documents/Ministerin.html;jsessionid=0211653637C2B2982E62543AC90C3EFB |website=schleswig-holstein.de |publisher=State of Schleswig-Holstein |accessdate=27 June 2019 |archive-date=27 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627211309/https://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/Landesregierung/III/Ministerin/_documents/Ministerin.html;jsessionid=0211653637C2B2982E62543AC90C3EFB |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the negotiations to form a [fourth](/source/Fourth_Merkel_cabinet) coalition government under [Chancellor](/source/Chancellor_of_Germany) [Angela Merkel](/source/Angela_Merkel) following the [2017 federal elections](/source/2017_German_federal_election), Prien was part of the working group on education policy, led by [Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer](/source/Annegret_Kramp-Karrenbauer), [Stefan Müller](/source/Stefan_M%C3%BCller_(politician)) and [Hubertus Heil](/source/Hubertus_Heil).

Since 17 November 2018, Prien has been one of the four deputy chairs of the CDU Schleswig-Holstein, succeeding State Minister for Justice [Sabine Sütterlin-Waack](/source/Sabine_S%C3%BCtterlin-Waack) who did not run for reelection.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daniel Günther als CDU-Landesvorsitzender wiedergewählt|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://www.cdu-sh.de/artikel/daniel-guenther-als-cdu-landesvorsitzender-wiedergewaehlt|format=|accessdate=4 December 2018|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=|year=|language=de|pages=|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SH-Bildungsministerin: Karin Prien will in die Führungsspitze der Nord-CDU {{!}} shz.de|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://www.shz.de/regionales/schleswig-holstein/politik/karin-prien-will-in-die-fuehrungsspitze-der-nord-cdu-id21586087.html|accessdate=4 December 2018|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref>  Prien supports the CDU-internal group "Union of the Middle," <ref>{{cite web|title=Karin Prien und die Union der Mitte|periodical=|publisher=Kieler Nachrichten|url=http://www.kn-online.de/Nachrichten/Schleswig-Holstein/Asylpolitik-Karin-Prien-und-die-Union-der-Mitte|format=|accessdate=27 March 2019|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=2 August 2018|language=de|pages=|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://union-der-mitte.org/ |title=union-der-mitte.org |access-date=3 May 2019 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430214555/https://union-der-mitte.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/union-der-mitte-liberale-cdu-unterstuetzer-von-kramp-karrenbauer-treffen-sich-in-berlin-a-1260887.html Union der Mitte Liberale CDU-Unterstützer von Kramp-Karrenbauer treffen sich in Berlin], von Florian Gathmann, [Der Spiegel](/source/Der_Spiegel) 3 April 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/karin-prien-cdu-erstes-treffen-union-der-mitte-berlin-1.4395011 Liberale CDU-Mitglieder Erstes Treffen der "Union der Mitte"], von Robert Roßmann, [Süddeutsche Zeitung](/source/S%C3%BCddeutsche_Zeitung) 3 April 2019.</ref> which is regarded as the counterpart of the conservative "value union."<ref>{{cite web|title=CDU erkennt Gruppierungen nicht an|periodical=|publisher=n-tv|url=https://www.n-tv.de/politik/CDU-erkennt-Gruppierungen-nicht-an-article20581450.html|accessdate=27 March 2019|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=20 August 2018|language=de|pages=|quote=}}</ref>

Ahead of the [2021 elections](/source/2021_German_federal_election), CDU chairman [Armin Laschet](/source/Armin_Laschet) included Prien in his eight-member [shadow cabinet](/source/shadow_cabinet) for the Christian Democrats' campaign.<ref>Fatina Keilani and Christoph Prantner (3 September 2021), [https://www.nzz.ch/international/im-umfragetief-laschet-stellt-zukunftsteam-vor-ld.1643675 Personen statt Positionen: Laschet bringt sein «Zukunftsteam» in Stellung] ''[Neue Zürcher Zeitung](/source/Neue_Z%C3%BCrcher_Zeitung)''.</ref>

Prien was nominated by her party as delegate to the [Federal Convention](/source/Federal_Convention_(Germany)) for the purpose of electing the [President of Germany](/source/President_of_Germany) in [2022](/source/2022_German_presidential_election).<ref>[https://www.landtag.ltsh.de/nachrichten/21_12_ohne_aussprache_sonstiges_dezember_2021/ Top 13: Wahl der Mitglieder für die 17. Bundesversammlung] [State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein](/source/Landtag_of_Schleswig-Holstein).</ref>

During the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), Prien caused a controversy by tweeting that children were dying "with" Covid and only rarely "because of" it. While the limited data at the time did indeed suggest that only very few deaths of children in Germany could be attributed directly to Covid alone, users criticized Prien's implied assumption that vulnerable children with preexisting conditions did not deserve protection. Prien consequently deactivated her Twitter account.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/coronavirus-wie-viele-kinder-sterben-an-oder-mit-corona-a-f163ee6a-0da1-4496-a279-d9d56e47b1a3 |title=Analyse nach Kritik an Bildungsministerin Karin Prien: Wie viele Kinder sterben wegen Corona? |lang=de |author=Viola Kiel |date=2022-02-14 |access-date=15 May 2025 |archive-date=8 October 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221008224909/https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/coronavirus-wie-viele-kinder-sterben-an-oder-mit-corona-a-f163ee6a-0da1-4496-a279-d9d56e47b1a3 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

Upon being appointed to the federal government following the [2025 federal election](/source/2025_German_federal_election), Prien was succeeded by Dorit Stenke on 7 May.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Neue-Bildungsministerin-Staatssekretaerin-Stenke-folgt-auf-Prien,bildungsministerium116.html | title = Neue Bildungsministerin: Staatssekretärin Stenke folgt auf Prien | work = [Norddeutscher Rundfunk](/source/Norddeutscher_Rundfunk) | date = 2025-05-07 | access-date = 2025-05-24 | language = de }}</ref>

==Other activities==
* Nordmetall Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)<ref>[https://www.nordmetall-stiftung.de/aktuell/ministerin-karin-prien-engagiert-sich-im-kuratorium/ Ministerin Karin Prien engagiert sich im Kuratorium] Nordmetall Foundation, press release of June 20, 2018.</ref>
* Cultural Foundation of the German States (KdL), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2017)<ref>[http://www.kulturstiftung.de/stiftungsrat/ Board of Trustees] Cultural Foundation of the German States (KdL).</ref>
* [Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival](/source/Schleswig-Holstein_Musik_Festival), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2017)<ref>[https://www.shmf.de/en/team Board of Trustees] [Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival](/source/Schleswig-Holstein_Musik_Festival).</ref>
* Freundeskreis Yad Vashem, Member<ref>Andreas Rinke and Sarah K Marsh (28 April 2025), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/whos-who-germanys-new-cabinet-2025-04-28/ Germany's new cabinet: who's who?] ''[Reuters](/source/Reuters)''.</ref>
* David Ben-Gurion Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[https://www.davidbengurionstiftung.de/stiftung/vorstand-kuratorium/ Board of Trustees] David Ben-Gurion Foundation.</ref>
* Haus Rissen, Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[https://www.hausrissen.org/haus-rissen/leitung-und-gremien.html Board of Trustees] Haus Rissen.</ref>
* [Stiftung Lesen](/source/Stiftung_Lesen), Member of the Board of Trustees<ref>[https://www.stiftunglesen.de/ueberuns/gremien/kuratorium/ Board of Trustees] [Stiftung Lesen](/source/Stiftung_Lesen).</ref>
* [ELNET (organization)](/source/ELNET_(organization)), Member of the advisory council <ref>{{cite web|url=https://elnet-deutschland.de/ |title= ELNET Deutschland |author= |work=ELNET Deutschland (ELNET Germany) |access-date= 9 April 2025 |date =9 April 2025}}</ref>

==Political positions==
For the [2021 national elections](/source/2021_German_federal_election), Prien endorsed [Armin Laschet](/source/Armin_Laschet) as the Christian Democrats' joint candidate to succeed [Chancellor](/source/Chancellor_of_Germany) [Angela Merkel](/source/Angela_Merkel).<ref>Florian Gathmann, Kevin Hagen, Christoph Hickmann and Veit Medick (20 April 2021), [https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/armin-laschet-und-markus-soeder-erzwungene-abstimmung-im-cdu-vorstand-der-gewaltakt-a-1a041741-33a7-4eea-94f8-d599918b3e48 Erzwungene Abstimmung im CDU-Vorstand: Laschets Gewaltakt] ''[Der Spiegel](/source/Der_Spiegel)''.</ref>

In early 2022, Prien called for [Hans-Georg Maaßen](/source/Hans-Georg_Maa%C3%9Fen) to be expelled from the CDU.<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/hans-georg-maassen-cdu-ministerin-karien-prien-fordert-parteiausschluss-a-bdace6ac-142a-466e-8cbd-bcf8f6a24e02 Streit über Ex-Verfassungsschutzchef: CDU-Ministerin Prien fordert Parteiausschluss von Maaßen] ''[Der Spiegel](/source/Der_Spiegel)'', 3 January 2022.</ref>

She opposes ''Gendern'', a form of writing in which the three [grammatical genders](/source/Grammatical_gender_in_German), which are usually represented through different words, are combined by adding [special characters](/source/Gender_star) within the word.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NDR |title=Prien schickt Gender-Erlass an Schulen - die Grünen zürnen |url=https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Prien-schickt-Gender-Erlass-an-Schulen-die-Gruenen-zuernen,gendern110.html |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=www.ndr.de |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prien verteidigt harte Linie im Gender-Streit |url=https://www.landtag.ltsh.de/nachrichten/21_09_gendersprache/ |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=www.landtag.ltsh.de}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=tagesschau 20:00 Uhr {{!}} ARD Mediathek |url=https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/tagesschau/tagesschau-20-00-uhr/das-erste/Y3JpZDovL3RhZ2Vzc2NoYXUuZGUvYzU5NjQ0NGEtZDU4NC00ZGRmLWJjYWYtMDZmNzRmMmZiYzAwX2dhbnplU2VuZHVuZw |access-date=2023-07-14 |language=de}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Prien is married to lawyer Jochen Prien and has three children.<ref>[Das Magazin für Frauen, die entscheiden], Ausgabe 2/ 2014, S. 18 (retrieved 19 January 2019)</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163251/https://www.hamburgische-buergerschaft.de/abgeordnete/4408632/prien-karin/ Biography at the Hamburg Parliament website]
* [https://www.karin-prien.de/ Eigene Homepage]
* [https://www.abgeordnetenwatch.de/profile/karin-prien Karin Prien] on abgeordnetenwatch.de

{{Cabinet Merz}}
{{G20-Education}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prien, Karin}}
Category:1965 births
Category:Living people
Category:20th-century German Jews
Category:21st-century German Jews
Category:German people of Jewish descent
Category:Jewish German politicians
Category:21st-century German politicians
Category:Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians
Category:Members of the Hamburg Parliament
Category:Ministers of the Schleswig-Holstein state government
Category:Women ministers of the Schleswig-Holstein state government
Category:Education ministers of Germany
Category:Women's ministers of Germany

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Karin Prien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Prien) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Prien?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.