The German Council of Economic Experts, the country’s principal advisory body for economic policy, announced Felbermayr’s appointment in Wiesbaden. He succeeds Ulrike Malmendier, whose mandate was not renewed following opposition from the Chancellor’s Office and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, both led by the CDU. Felbermayr is currently the Director of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research in Vienna. This announcement was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on March 27, 2026.