Hans Eichel (born 24 December 1941) is a German politician (SPD) and the co-founder of the G20, or "Group of Twenty", an international forum for the governments and central bank governors of twenty developed and developing nations to discuss policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability. He was Germany's Minister of Finance between 1999 and 2005.Eichel was chairman of the G7 in 1999 and chairman of the G20 in 2004. Before that, Eichel served as the 6th Minister President of Hesse from 1991 to 1999 and as the 52nd President of the Bundesrat in 1998/99.