Alexander Graf Lambsdorff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexander Graf Lambsdorff
Member of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 24 October 2017 – 8 July 2023
Succeeded by	Katharina Willkomm
Constituency	FDP List
Member of the European Parliament for Germany
In office 1 July 2004 – 2017
Personal details
Born	Alexander Sebastian Léonce von der Wenge Graf Lambsdorff (1966-11-05) 5 November 1966 (age 58) Cologne, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party	Free Democratic Party
Spouse	Franziska Gräfin Lambsdorff
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Bonn Georgetown University

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (born 5 November 1966) is a German politician. He is a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Since 2023, he has been the German ambassador to Russia.

Before this, Lambsdorff was a Member of the Bundestag (Germany's parliament) from 2017 to 2023. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2017. His name includes "Graf," which means "Count." This title comes from his family, who were part of the old noble families.

Early Life and School

Alexander Lambsdorff grew up in different cities like Hamburg, Brussels, and Bonn. He went to a Catholic high school called Aloisiuskolleg in Bonn until 1985. After high school, he studied at the University of Bonn.

From 1991 to 1993, he studied in the United States at Georgetown University. He received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship. He earned two master's degrees: one in history and another in Foreign Service.

Working as a Diplomat

After finishing his studies, Lambsdorff began a career in diplomacy. This means he worked for the German government to manage relationships with other countries.

• In 1994, he was a trainee at the European Commission.
• From 1994 to 1995, he worked for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Tallinn, Estonia.
• From 1997 to 2000, he was part of the Policy Planning Staff in the German Federal Foreign Office.
• From 2000 to 2003, he was a press attaché at the Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. in the USA.
• From 2003 to 2004, he worked in the Political Department, focusing on Russia, at the German Federal Foreign Office.

His Political Journey

Member of the European Parliament (2004–2017)

Alexander Lambsdorff was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004. He was re-elected in 2009 and 2014. In 2011, he became the leader of the 12 German FDP members in the European Parliament. Later, in 2014, he was chosen as the leader of the European Liberals and Democrats Group.

He was a member of important committees in the European Parliament. For example, he worked on the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also focused on relations with China and Turkey. He helped create a single EU market for defense and security equipment.

After the 2014 elections, Lambsdorff joined the European Parliament Committee on International Trade. He also led EU-Election Observer Missions several times. He watched elections in countries like Kenya (2007–08), Bangladesh (2008), Guinea (2010), and Myanmar (2015).

In January 2014, he was chosen as his party's main candidate for the European Parliament elections. From 2014, he served as one of the fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament. In this role, he helped lead meetings and represented the parliament at international groups like the United Nations.

Member of the German Bundestag (2017–2023)

Lambsdorff became a member of the German Bundestag after the 2017 national elections. During his time in parliament, he was one of six deputy leaders of the FDP group. He was in charge of the group's work on foreign policy.

From 2022, he was also a member of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel. This group checks on Germany's intelligence services. He also led the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group.

His Roles in the FDP Party

Alexander Lambsdorff has held several important roles within his party, the FDP:

• He helped start the FDP LV Net.
• He is a member of the Executive Committee for North Rhine-Westphalia.
• He is also a member of the Federal Executive Committee.
• He is a member of the ELDR Council and Congress.

In 2017, he was part of the FDP team that talked with the CDU party to form a new government in North Rhine-Westphalia. He led his party's group on European affairs. In 2021, he also led his party's group on foreign policy, defense, and human rights during talks to form a new national government.

German Ambassador to Russia

Since 2023, Alexander Lambsdorff has been the German ambassador to Russia. This means he is Germany's top representative in Russia. In March 2024, he attended the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Also in March 2024, Russia's foreign ministry called him in to discuss a leaked audio recording of German military officials talking about weapons for Ukraine.

His Views on Politics

European Cooperation

Lambsdorff has become more critical about Turkey joining the European Union. He believes talks should stop until Turkey changes its approach to the EU. He has said that Turkey's actions, like jailing journalists, are not in line with European values.

He once said it was a mistake to let the British join the European Union after the UK decided not to agree to a new EU treaty in 2011. He also criticized Germany's decision to not vote for military action in Libya in 2011, saying it weakened the EU.

Human Rights

Lambsdorff supports human rights. He nominated Leyla Yunus, a human rights activist from Azerbaijan, for a special award called the Sakharov Prize in 2014.

Money and Economy

Because of money problems in Europe, Lambsdorff suggested in 2012 that the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs should have more power over countries' budgets.

After the 2014 European elections, he did not support Pierre Moscovici becoming the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs. Lambsdorff felt Moscovici should be held responsible for France's rising debt.

Language

In December 2014, Lambsdorff suggested that English should be used more in German public offices. He even thought it should become an official language in Germany, along with German. He believed this would help attract more skilled workers and make it easier for businesses. A survey showed that many Germans would like English to be an official language in the whole European Union.

Other Activities

Alexander Lambsdorff is involved in many other organizations:

Company Boards

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German development agency, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees.

Non-profit Organizations

• Tarabya Cultural Academy, Member of the advisory board (since 2022).
• Trilateral Commission, Member of the European Group (since 2021).
• German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Member of the Presidium (since 2019).
• Development and Peace Foundation (SEF), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2019).
• German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW), Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2018).
• Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Member of the Advisory Board.
• Atlantik-Brücke, Member of the Board.
• Atlantic Initiative, Founding Member.
• Bonn International Award for Democracy, Member of the Board of Trustees.
• Broader European Leadership Agenda (BELA), Member of the Advisory Board.
• Europa-Union Deutschland, Member.
• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member.
• European Security Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees.
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees.
• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Member of the council (since 2018).
• German-Turkish Foundation, Founding Member.
• Petersburger Dialog [de], Member.
• Haus der Geschichte, Member of the Board of Trustees (2022–2023).
• International Journalists' Programmes (IJP), Member of the Board of Trustees.
• European Endowment for Democracy (EED), Member of the Board of Governors (-2017).
• German European Security Association (GESA), Member (2006–2015).

Personal Life

Lambsdorff coat of arms

Count Alexander Lambsdorff belongs to a noble family called Lambsdorff. His family came from Westphalia to the Baltic region in the 1400s. They were recognized as noble in 1620. His family owned large lands in what is now Latvia and Estonia. Many family members were military officers for the Russian Empire.

One of Alexander Lambsdorff's ancestors, Count Matthias von der Wenge Lambsdorff, was a Russian general. He was given the special title of "Count" in 1817 by Alexander I of Russia. In 1880, the family was allowed to use the titles "Baron of the Wenge" and "Count of Lambsdorff" in Prussia.

His father, Hagen Graf Lambsdorff (born 1935), was the first German Ambassador to Latvia starting in 1991. He was later Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Alexander's uncle, Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1926–2009), was also a well-known liberal politician. He served as the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs from 1977 to 1982.

In 1994, Alexander Lambsdorff married Franziska. They have two children together.

See also

In Spanish: Alexander Lambsdorff para niños