Jens_Geier

Jens Geier

Jens Geier

German politician

Jens Geier (born 22 June 1961) is a German politician who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament since 2009. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, part of the Party of European Socialists.[1]

Quick Facts MEP, Member of the European Parliament ...

Early life and career

After graduating from Ruhr University Bochum in 1989, Geier worked as a research assistant to Social Democrat MEP Detlev Samland.[2][3] From 1992 to 1999 he worked for the executive of the Social Democratic Party, first for the party's leader, Björn Engholm, and then for the deputy leader, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.[3] Geier stood unsuccessfully for the European Parliament in both 1999 and 2004.[3] He worked as a public relations officer for the North Rhine-Westphalia branch of the SPD from 1999 until 2001.[2]

Geier then spent five years working for Projekt Ruhr GmbH, a regional development agency, before taking up a position at Deloitte in 2006.[2]

Political career

Member of the European Parliament, 2009-present

Geier was elected to the European Parliament at his third attempt in 2009.[2] From 2009 to 2019, he served on the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control. In 2012, he was the parliament’s rapporteur for that year’s report of the European Court of Auditors on the European Union’s spending.[4] Following the 2014 European elections, he has elected Vice-Chair of the Committee on Budgets, under the leadership of chairman Jean Arthuis. In this capacity, he has served as the parliament’s rapporteur on the 2017 budget of the European Union[5][6] and on the European Labour Authority (ELA).[7]

In addition to his committee assignments, Geier has served as a member of the parliament's delegations for relations with the United States and Japan. He is also part of the European Parliament Intergroup on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime),[8] the European Parliament Intergroup on Trade Unions[9] and the European Parliament Intergroup on Western Sahara.[10]

Since January 2017, Geier has been serving as leader of the SPD group within the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.[11]

Following the 2019 European elections, Geier moved to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.[12] In this capacity, he served as the parliament's rapporteur on a non-binding 2021 motion in support of using “low-carbon hydrogen” made from fossil gas as a bridge towards 100% renewable production.[13]

On 30 June 2021 Geier took on a godparenthood of Dzianis Urad, Belarusian political prisoner.[14][15]

Role in national politics

In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, Geier was part of the SPD delegation in the working group on European policy, led by Peter Altmaier, Alexander Dobrindt and Martin Schulz.

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the SPD, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Geier was again part of his party's delegation in the working group on European affairs, this time co-chaired by Udo Bullmann, Franziska Brantner and Nicola Beer.[16]

Other activities

  • Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2018)[17]
  • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Alternate Member of the Broadcasting Council (since 2001)
  • Karl Funke Foundation, Member of the Board
  • German United Services Trade Union (ver.di), Member
  • Workers’ Welfare Association (AWO), Member

References

  1. [1]
    Profile European Parliament
  2. [2]
    "Jens Geier, MdEP" (in German). North Rhine-Westphalia SPD. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  3. [3]
    "Weiß der Geier" (in German). Neue Ruhr Zeitung. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  4. [4]
    Toby Vogel (November 7, 2012), The annual blame-game over better spending begins European Voice.
  5. [5]
    MEPs reject member states' budget proposal EUobserver, 29 September 2016.
  6. [6]
    Francesco Guarascio (September 13, 2016), EU lawmakers aim to limit proposed cuts to 2017 budget Reuters.
  7. [7]
    Hanne Cokelaere (November 14, 2019), Labor authority caught in EU institutional turf war Politico Europe.
  8. [8]
    Members of the European Parliament on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime) European Parliament.
  9. [9]
    Intergroup on Trade Unions European Parliament.
  10. [10]
    Members European Parliament Intergroup on Western Sahara.
  11. [11]
    Jens Geier führt jetzt die Europa-SPD Westfalenpost, January 11, 2017.
  12. [12]
    Jens Geier European Parliament.
  13. [13]
    Nikolaus J. Kurmayer (May 20, 2021), EU Parliament backs ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen, despite Green opposition Euractiv.
  14. [14]
    "Ihar Bukas, Dzianis Ivashyn and Dzianis Urad adopted by European MPs". Viasna Human Rights Centre. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  15. [15]
    "Irish and German MPs adopt three political prisoners from Belarus". Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  16. [16]
    Ampel-Koalition: Das sind die Verhandlungsteams von SPD, Grünen und FDP[permanent dead link] Deutschlandfunk, October 27, 2021.
  17. [17]
    Bernd Westphal wird neuer Beirats-Vorsitzender beim Wirtschaftsforum der SPD Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , press release of June 7, 2018.
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