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Martin Schulz

Schulz in 2017

Chair of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation

Incumbent

Assumed office
14 December 2020

Deputy

Daniela Kolbe
Michael Sommer

Preceded by

Kurt Beck

Leader of the Social Democratic Party

In office
19 March 2017 – 13 February 2018

General Secretary

Hubertus Heil
Lars Klingbeil

Deputy

Ralf Stegner
Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel
Olaf Scholz
Manuela Schwesig
Natascha Kohnen
Malu Dreyer

Preceded by

Sigmar Gabriel

Succeeded by

Andrea Nahles

President of the European Parliament

In office
17 January 2012 – 17 January 2017

Vice President

Gianni Pittella
Antonio Tajani

Preceded by

Jerzy Buzek

Succeeded by

Antonio Tajani

Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

Acting
18 June 2014 – 1 July 2014

Preceded by

Hannes Swoboda

Succeeded by

Gianni Pittella

In office
15 July 2004 – 17 January 2012

Preceded by

Enrique Barón Crespo

Succeeded by

Hannes Swoboda

Mayor of Würselen

In office
1987–1998

Preceded by

Bernd Thielen

Succeeded by

Wolfgang Peltzer

Parliamentary constituencies

Member of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 24 October 2017 – 26 October 2021
Preceded by	Peer Steinbrück (2016)
Succeeded by	Multi-member district
Electoral list	Social Democratic Party
Member of the European Parliament for Germany
In office 19 July 1994 – 19 February 2017
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Arndt Kohn

Personal details

Born

20 December 1955 (age 69)
Kinzweiler-Hehlrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Eschweiler-Hehlrath, Germany)

Political party

Social Democratic Party (1975–present)

Spouse

Inge Schulz

(m. 1985)

Children

Residences

Würselen, Germany

Signature

Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955) is a well-known German politician. He was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 to 2017. Later, he served in the German Parliament, called the Bundestag, from 2017 to 2021. During his career, he held important leadership roles. He led a big group in the European Parliament called the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats from 2004 to 2012. He also served as the President of the European Parliament from 2012 to 2017. In Germany, he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2017 to 2018.

In 2016, Schulz decided not to run for a third term as President of the European Parliament. Instead, he wanted to become the candidate for German Chancellor in the 2017 elections. In January 2017, Sigmar Gabriel, the then-leader of the Social Democratic Party, stepped down. He suggested Martin Schulz as his replacement and as the party's candidate for Chancellor. After the elections in September 2017, his party had a difficult result. Schulz then said his party would not join a government led by Angela Merkel. He later changed his mind about joining a government but then decided not to become Foreign Minister. On 13 February 2018, he resigned as party chairman.

Early Life and Education

Martin Schulz was born on 20 December 1955, in a village called Hehlrath. This village is now part of Eschweiler in western Germany. It's close to the borders of the Netherlands and Belgium. He grew up as one of five children. His father was a local policeman and came from a family that supported social democracy. His mother was from a conservative Catholic family and was active in the Christian Democratic Union. Because he grew up near the borders, Schulz has relatives in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

From 1962 to 1975, Schulz went to a private Roman Catholic school. He left school without getting his final school certificate (Abitur). This happened after he had to repeat the 11th grade twice. After school, from 1975 to 1977, he trained to be a bookseller. For the next two years, he worked for different publishing houses and bookshops. In 1982, Schulz opened his own bookshop in Würselen.

Starting in Politics

In 1974, when he was 19, Martin Schulz joined the SPD. He became involved with the party's youth group, the Young Socialists in the SPD. In 1984, he was elected to the Würselen Municipal Council. He stayed a member until 1998. From 1987 onwards, he served as the Mayor of Würselen. At 31, he was the youngest mayor in his region, North Rhine-Westphalia. He held this job until 1998. As mayor, he helped Würselen become a twin city with Morlaix in France. There, he became friends with Marylise Lebranchu, who later became a French minister.

Working in the European Parliament

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Martin Schulz with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in 2014.

In 1994, Martin Schulz was elected to the European Parliament. This is where elected members from different European countries work together. From 2000 to 2004, he led the SPD group within the European Parliament. Schulz worked on several important committees. These included the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. He became the leader of the Socialist group (PSE Group) in 2004. He held this position until he was elected President of the European Parliament. Since 2009, Schulz has also been the SPD's representative for European Affairs. His ideas have greatly shaped his party's pro-European policies.

In 2004, as the leader of his group, Schulz helped stop an Italian politician, Rocco Buttiglione, from joining the European Commission. This was because Buttiglione had expressed views against gay people. Many other members of the European Parliament agreed, and Buttiglione was replaced.

Leading the European Parliament

The ceremony of the Sakharov Prize awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi by Schulz, inside the European Parliament's Strasbourg hemicycle, in 2013

After the 2009 European elections, Schulz became more widely known. He argued that his group should not immediately approve a second term for the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso. Schulz wanted Barroso to make some political promises to the Social Democrats. After Barroso agreed to some changes, Schulz's group did not vote against him.

On 17 January 2012, Martin Schulz was elected as the President of the European Parliament. He received 387 votes out of 670. In 2012, Schulz, along with other EU leaders, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union. The prize was given to the EU for helping to bring peace and democracy to Europe for over sixty years.

Schulz meeting with the Turkish opposition politician Selahattin Demirtaş, who was later arrested

As president, Schulz was very good at handling difficult diplomatic situations. For example, he visited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after a coup attempt in 2016. He also visited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2015 to improve talks between the EU and Iran. In November 2016, Schulz announced he would not seek a third term as president. He wanted to return to German politics. He left the European Parliament on 10 February 2017, after more than 22 years.

Running for European Commission President

In 2013, Schulz was nominated as a candidate to become the President of the European Commission. This was a new idea to have the president chosen through democratic elections. He was the only candidate from the Party of European Socialists. On 1 March 2014, Schulz officially accepted this nomination in Rome. He was elected by 368 out of 404 members of his party. He started his European campaign in Paris, promising to deal with taxes and unfair labor practices. He ran against Jean-Claude Juncker and Guy Verhofstadt.

However, his party came second in the European election. Germany's Social Democrats then agreed to support Jean-Claude Juncker for the Commission's presidency. This meant Schulz did not become President of the European Commission. Instead, he remained President of the European Parliament.

Back in German Politics

Since 1999, Schulz has been part of the leadership of the SPD. He worked under several party chairmen. He also co-chaired the Commission for International Politics. Schulz was a delegate for electing the President of Germany several times. In 2013, he was part of the discussions to form a new government after the federal elections. He led the SPD group on European affairs.

By 2015, German newspapers began to guess that Schulz might run for Chancellor of Germany in the 2017 elections. In May 2016, he said he would not run against Angela Merkel. But in November 2016, he announced he would leave the European Parliament to run for a seat in the German Parliament. This brought back the idea of him running for Chancellor. On 24 January 2017, Schulz was confirmed as the Social Democrats' candidate for Chancellor.

The 2017 Federal Election

Schulz in Gelsenkirchen, 20 September 2017

On 24 January 2017, Schulz became the Social Democrats' candidate for Chancellor. In March, he was chosen as the official head of the party. This was the first time in post-war Germany that an SPD leader received no opposing votes. After his nomination, his party gained about ten percentage points in public opinion polls. For a short time, the SPD was very close to Angela Merkel's party. Some experts thought Schulz could win the election on 24 September 2017. Polls even showed Schulz leading Merkel if Germans could vote for their chancellor directly.

During the campaign, unemployment was very low. This made it hard for Schulz to get attention with his message about inequality in Germany. Before the election, he focused more on the risk of a new migrant crisis. In July 2017, his campaign manager had to step down due to illness. In the federal elections on 24 September 2017, the Social Democrats received only 20.5 percent of the vote. This was a new low for the party after the war.

After the 2017 Election

Soon after the election results, Schulz said that the SPD would not form another "Grand coalition" with Angela Merkel's party. He clearly stated he would not serve in a Merkel government. However, other parties failed to form a government in November 2017. The President then asked Schulz to rethink. Schulz changed his mind and started talks with Merkel's party.

In February 2018, these talks finished successfully. Schulz announced he would become the new Foreign Minister. But he faced strong public and internal criticism. On 13 February 2018, Schulz stepped down as SPD Leader. He suggested Andrea Nahles as his replacement. Soon after, he also gave up his plan to become Foreign Minister. The party then nominated Nahles as the new leader. Olaf Scholz took over as acting party leader until a party meeting in April 2018. In December 2020, Schulz announced he would not run in the 2021 federal elections. He decided to leave active politics at the end of that parliamentary term.

What Martin Schulz Believes In

European Unity

Schulz meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran

Martin Schulz is known as a strong supporter of the European Union (EU). He believes that European unity is a great achievement. However, he also thinks that some power should be given back to national, regional, and local governments. This would allow the EU to focus on bigger issues. Because of his strong support for Europe, some people jokingly use the slogan "MEGA" – "Make Europe Great Again" – for him.

Schulz wants to make Europe and its institutions stronger. In 2016, he suggested a ten-point plan to reform the EU. This plan calls for simplifying European structures. It also suggests creating a strong European government controlled by the European Parliament. In 2017, Schulz called for a new constitution for a "United States of Europe". He proposed that this constitution should be written by a group that includes regular citizens. He also said that any country that didn't accept this new constitution should leave the EU.

Safety and Security

In 2013, Schulz spoke about Europe's military dependence on the United States. He noted that Europe often could not carry out military operations without US support. He said that many members of the European Parliament believe Europe needs a central office for military missions in Brussels. They also think Europe needs its own deployable troops. There was a discussion about creating a European Air Force. This force would include surveillance drones and transport planes.

Economy and Work

Schulz believes that having a job is important. He is not in favor of the idea of an "unconditional basic income" (where everyone gets money without working). However, Schulz strongly supports fair wage agreements. He also wants secure and lasting jobs for people. He believes employees should be involved in decision-making.

Global Relations

In 2008, Schulz led a European Parliament group to Havana, Cuba. The goal was to improve relations and discuss lifting EU sanctions against Cuba. In 2014, Schulz gave a speech in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset). He criticized Israel for not giving Palestinians a fair share of water resources. This led to some lawmakers walking out and criticism from the Prime Minister.

In 2015, during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Schulz stopped a committee that worked to improve ties between Russia and the EU. When Russia prevented two EU politicians from attending a funeral, Schulz called it "a high affront to EU–Russia relations." In 2016, Schulz said that Donald Trump was a problem "for the whole world." He called Trump an "irresponsible man" who "boasts about not having a clue."

Other Roles and Interests

Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2020)
Bonner Akademie für Forschung und Lehre praktischer Politik (BAPP), Member of the Board of Trustees
Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), Chairman (since December 2020)
Institute for European Politics, Member of the Board of Trustees
Stiftung "Achtung!Kinderseele", Member of the Board of Trustees
IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IG BCE), Member
1. FC Köln, Member of the Advisory Board (-2019)

Personal Details

Schulz is married to Inge Schulz (since 1985) and they have two children, Nico and Lina. He was raised Catholic but is now not actively practicing. Besides German, Schulz speaks English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch.

Awards and Honours

German Honours

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany: Grand Cross in 2006
International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen: on 14 May 2015

International Honours

Austria: Grand Golden Decoration of the Republic in 2008
Russian Federation: Honorary Doctorate by the Kaliningrad State Technical University on 18 May 2009
France: Officer of the French Légion d'honneur in 2010
Romania: Collar of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania on 31 October 2012; Doctor Honoris Causa title by the National School of Political Science and Public Administration of Bucharest on 31 October 2012.
Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on 10 November 2012
Portugal: Key of Honor to the City of Lisbon on 20 June 2013
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty on 17 January 2017
Gold Medal of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe, in 2014.