BERLIN — A German university is looking into allegations that Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a leading Social Democrat and a former foreign minister, plagiarized parts of his doctoral dissertation.
World Briefing | Europe
German Politician Faces Plagiarism Accusations
By MELISSA EDDY
Published: September 30, 2013
Mr. Steinmeier is the first ranking member of the center-left Social Democrats to be confronted with such accusations. Similar charges brought down two members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet.
Mr. Steinmeier is the parliamentary leader for the Social Democrats, who are to hold talks with Ms. Merkel’s conservatives this week to explore the possibility of forming a new governing coalition. He has dismissed the charges and said Monday that he had requested that the University of Giessen check his dissertation for unacknowledged citations. It was written in 1991 and explored the role of the state in the prevention of homelessness.
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a former defense minister, and Annette Schavan, who served eight years as education minister, both quit their posts after separate challenges to the authenticity of their research. The University of Bochum is investigating the doctoral dissertation of Norbert Lammert, a senior member of Ms. Merkel’s party.
Germans prize titles; the title Doctor is commonly used for nonmedical professionals. The spate of plagiarism allegations in recent years has led to soul-searching among German academics and universities in an effort to ensure that the titles retain their importance.
