 In 1994, she was promoted to the position of Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety, which gave her greater political visibility and a platform on which to build her personal political career.As one of Kohl's protégées and his youngest Cabinet Minister, she was frequently referred to by Kohl as ""mein Mädchen"" ("my girl").After the Kohl Government was defeated at the 1998 election, Merkel was appointed Secretary-General of the CDU, a key position as the party was no longer part of the federal government.