Hans Eichel, German minister of finance

Born: December 1941 in Kassel, Germany.

Education: University of Berlin; University of Marburg

Hans Eichel became finance minister in April 1999.

Germany's Mr Orthodoxy

Hans Eichel's policies could determine the fate of September's election. But in spite of the weak economy, he tells the FT's Lionel Barber and Haig Simonian, he is in no mood to give in to his critics Read