A look at their dreamy website makes it clear that the Federal Academy for Public Administration (BAköV) is not exactly a top-ranking federal authority. Seminars such as “General project management” or “Practical tips for sustainability in the workplace” are presented in the style of an adult education center catalog from the last century. The institute, which was founded in 1969, offers advanced training for civil servants and federal employees from its headquarters in Brühl near Cologne with a few dozen employees.
Now public interest in the authority is likely to increase significantly. Because on January 2nd, the new President of the BAköV will start his work. The Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed on Tuesday that Arne Schönbohm will take over the post at the turn of the year. Most recently, he was head of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and was removed from the BSI leadership there in the fall as a result of a questionable appearance at a cyber security association with contacts in Russian intelligence circles under circumstances that were as spectacular as they were opaque.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) is said to have been angry that the BSI boss, despite warnings, maintained close contacts with the controversial “Cyber Security Council”, whose president had previously admitted contacts with Russian intelligence agencies. Trust in the country’s most powerful cybersecurity experts is gone, it said. The fact that Jan Böhmermann’s ZDF satire show brought the topic to the general public accelerated Schönbohm’s departure.
But the ministry subsequently found it difficult to substantiate the allegations. First it turned out that a state secretary from Faeser’s ministry had approved Schönbohm’s appearance and even his speech. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is said to have monitored Schönbohm’s talks with the head of the association. But what the Federal Ministry of the Interior specifically accused the then BSI boss of, remained in the dark until the end. Even the supervisory bodies of the Bundestag tried in vain to gather facts. However, it became clear that Schönbohm and the responsible department of the Ministry of the Interior had been at odds for a long time.
Schönbohm does not have to do without salary
The loss of trust seems to be limited. According to government circles, the ban on Schönbohm’s activities was lifted with the change. Schönbohm has been working in Brühl since the beginning of December. The Ministry even went to some lengths to make the change possible. The salary of the BAköV item in the most recent budget was raised from B6 to B8, which is Schönbohm’s salary level. After all, he does not have to be annoyed about a loss of salary, but only a loss of importance: Because instead of 1700 BSI positions and 217 million euros in budget funds, in future he will only manage 55 employees and 3.5 million euros in funds.
After all, Schönbohm can also call himself special representative for the modernization of the federal training landscape in the future – this is how the BMI upgraded the post for Schönbohm. The change entails further shifts at the top of federal agencies. The previous BAköV President Alexander Eisvogel is to head the procurement office of the Ministry of the Interior in Bonn. Its previous head, Ruth Brand, will become the new President of the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden in January – and at the same time the new Federal Returning Officer.