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State secretaries
Article Ministry
State secretaries are the highest-ranking civil servants in a federal ministry. They are responsible for ensuring that the ministry is able to carry out its tasks in line with the minister’s directions and guidance; they also represent the minister as head of this supreme federal authority within the ministry and beyond. Because this position requires a high level of agreement with the minister’s policy and subject-related objectives, state secretaries, unlike other civil servants, may be suspended at any time on the recommendation of the federal minister.
