Tobias Traupel

Director General, European, Legal and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia

Dr. Tobias Traupel is Director General of the “European, Legal and Foreign Trade Department” of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In this role, he is responsible for and manages the Divisions “European and Legal Affairs” and “Foreign Trade”. Previously, he held a dual position as Deputy Director General of the Department of “International Economic Relations” and Director of the Division “Foreign Trade Law and European State Aid Law, Strategy, EU Coordination, International Agreements” at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Further positions of Mr. Traupel included Representative of the Federal Council of Germany at the European Union Commission Committee on “Multilateral Conferences on State Aid” as well as Expert for European State Aid Law in the Twinning-Projects of the European Union for new members and candidate countries.

Mr. Traupel started his professional career as judge at the district court in Düsseldorf, after which he was assigned to the Federal Ministry of Justice of Germany. In 1993, he joined for the first time the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia as a legal adviser.

Next to his job as Director General of the Department “Location Marketing and Development”, Mr. Traupel is also chair of the examination committee for auditors and certified public accountants in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Mr. Traupel passed the second state examination in law and holds a phd in law. He studied at the Free University of Berlin and the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.