As the successor to Heiko Maas, Emily Vontz will be the youngest member of the Bundestag at the age of 22. "Of course I will attract attention as the youngest member of the Bundestag," said Vontz on Wednesday in Losheim am See in the Saarland of the German Press Agency. But it's not about attracting attention, it's about getting young people involved in politics. "Especially young people who are the same age as me say they think it's really good that someone our age is sitting in the Bundestag. And now is the time for that."
The Saarland Juso state chairman said she was looking forward to her new job. "I will approach it with respect and humility." She was "very grateful" for the opportunity. "And I'm very excited about what's in store for me now," she said. Vontz has been with the Jusos since she was 16 and joined the SPD when she was 17. She is currently still district chairwoman of the Jusos Merzig-Wadern and on the local advisory board in her home town.
She is in her fourth semester studying political science and French at the University of Trier. "Franco-German relations are a topic close to my heart," she said. After graduating from high school, she spent a year in France for an international voluntary service. Otherwise, climate and environmental protection and youth participation are her priorities. Through her Bundestag mandate, she would like to motivate other young women to go into politics.
What motivates Emily Vontz?
She got into active politics after taking part in "Youth debates" and the business game "Model Europe Parliament" when she was at school. She feels an "enthusiasm and love for democracy and European politics" and it upsets her when people say they don't care about politics. "You can see now how important it is that we live in a good democracy in Germany."
Former Foreign Minister Maas announced on Tuesday that he intends to resign from the Bundestag. The fully qualified lawyer from Saarland was Federal Minister of Justice from 2013 to 2018 and then Foreign Minister until December 2021. Since then, Maas has been a member of the Bundestag for the Saarlouis constituency.
