Martin Schulz

Martin Schulz
Schulz in 2017
Chair of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Assumed office
14 December 2020
DeputyDaniela Kolbe
Michael Sommer
Preceded byKurt Beck
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office
19 March 2017 – 13 February 2018
General SecretaryHubertus Heil
Lars Klingbeil
Deputy
Preceded bySigmar Gabriel
Succeeded byAndrea Nahles
President of the European Parliament
In office
17 January 2012 – 17 January 2017
Vice PresidentGianni Pittella
Antonio Tajani
Preceded byJerzy Buzek
Succeeded byAntonio Tajani
Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Acting
18 June 2014 – 1 July 2014
Preceded byHannes Swoboda
Succeeded byGianni Pittella
In office
15 July 2004 – 17 January 2012
Preceded byEnrique Barón Crespo
Succeeded byHannes Swoboda
Mayor of Würselen
In office
1987–1998
Preceded byBernd Thielen
Succeeded byWolfgang Peltzer
Parliamentary constituencies
Member of the Bundestag
for North Rhine-Westphalia
In office
24 October 2017 – 26 October 2021
Preceded byPeer Steinbrück (2016)
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Electoral listSocial Democratic Party
Member of the European Parliament
for Germany
In office
19 July 1994 – 19 February 2017
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byArndt Kohn
Personal details
Born (1955-12-20) 20 December 1955 (age 68)
Kinzweiler-Hehlrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Eschweiler-Hehlrath, Germany)
Political partySocial Democratic Party (1975–present)
Spouse
Inge Schulz
(m. 1985)
Children2
Residence(s)Würselen, Germany
Signature
WebsiteOfficial Website

Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955)[1] is a German politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany from 1994 to 2017 and a Member of the Bundestag (MdB) from 2017 to 2021. During his tenure he was Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats from 2004 to 2012, President of the European Parliament from 2012 to 2017 and Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2017 to 2018.[2]

In November 2016, Schulz announced he would not seek a third term as President of the European Parliament, but instead would stand in 2017 as the SPD candidate for the German Chancellorship. In January 2017, Sigmar Gabriel announced he would not stand for re-election as party leader and as the SPD candidate for the German Chancellorship, Gabriel recommended Schulz as his replacement.[3]

After the elections of September 2017, which resulted in a postwar low for the SPD, Schulz declared the end of the existing Grand coalition under Angela Merkel and explicitly refused to serve in a Merkel government. On 7 February 2018, coalition talks concluded and Schulz announced he would succeed Sigmar Gabriel as Foreign minister and leave his party chairmanship to Andrea Nahles. After heavy public and internal criticism, Schulz decided not to enter the new cabinet. On 13 February 2018 Schulz stepped down as party chair.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Munzinger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Dalton, Matthew (July 2014). "German Socialist Martin Schulz Re-Elected as European Parliament President". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Martin Schulz to be candidate for German chancellor".