The Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (German: Bundesministerium für Post und Telekommunikation) was established in 1949 under the name Federal Ministry of Telecommunications Affairs (German: Bundesministerium für Angelegenheiten des Fernmeldewesens and renamed the Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications on April 1, 1950. It was subsequently mostly referred to as the Federal Postal Ministry; within the postal service, the abbreviation BPM was generally used. The ministry was headquartered in the building of the Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Bonn from 1954 to 1988, before moving to a new building.[1] In 1989, as part of the first stage of postal reform, the world Telecommunications in the ministry's name was changed from Fernmeldewesen to the more internationally-derived word Telekommunikation.[2]
As a result of the privatization of posts and telecommunications, it was dissolved on December 31, 1997.[3] During its existence, the ministry was the highest authority within the German Federal Post Office. The postal directorates and other central intermediate authorities such as Central Postal Services Office, Central Telecommunications Services Office, Social Welfare Office of the German Federal Post Office were directly subordinate to it.
The Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications performed tasks in the field of postal and telecommunications services. It consisted of Policy, Strategy and Targets, Competition Control, Regulation, Licensing, Authorizations, Radio Frequency Matters, Standardization and Central Department.
The Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications's area of responsibility included the following subordinate federal authorities:
With its dissolution on December 31, 1997, its responsibilities were divided between various agencies: the Federal Ministry of Finance took over the responsibility for issuing postage stamps, exercising voting rights attached to shares, and filling supervisory board mandates in public limited companies and managing the Federal Printing Office. and the Federal Ministry of Economics was responsible for representing German interests in the European Union, international frequency matters with effect from January 1, 1998. Responsibilities relating to the personnel of the former German Federal Post Office were transferred to the Federal Office for Posts and Telecommunications, including, in particular, the related institutions of the former German Federal Post Office such as the Postal Officials' Health Insurance Fund, the Recreation Fund of the German Federal Post Office, or the Postal Clothing Fund and the Accident Insurance Fund for Posts and Telecommunications. The non-sovereign part of the former Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Federal Office for Posts and Telecommunications were merged to form the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts, which continues its responsibilities today as the Federal Network Agency responsible for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Posts and Railways.