Jo Leinen

Jo Leinen
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 July 1999 – 2019
ConstituencyGermany
President of the Union of European Federalists
In office
1 May 1997 – 17 August 2005
Preceded byFrancesco Rossollillo
Succeeded byMercedes Bresso
Personal details
Born
Joseph Leinen

(1948-04-06) 6 April 1948 (age 75)
Bisten, Saarland, Germany
Political party German:
Social Democratic Party of Germany
 EU:
Party of European Socialists
SpouseHeike Gross
Children1
Alma materSaarland University, University of Bonn
Websitewww.joleinen.de

Joseph Leinen (born 6 April 1948) is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 until 2019. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists.

He is well known for his environmental and foreign affairs activities, as well as for his support for a Federal Europe. He obtained a law degree in Germany in 1972 and a Certificate of Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, in 1974. Since 1977 he has worked as a lawyer.

Extraparliamentary tasks

Leinen became publicly known as a spokesman of the anti-nuclear movement and the peace movement (1980), he was also active for the Bundesverband Bürgerinitiativen Umweltschutz (BBU). He received the nickname "container-Jo" during a demonstration, having climbed a container in order to coordinate protest actions by megaphone.[1] Because of his participation at a demonstration against the Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (1981), he was briefly charged with being "guide and ringleader" of a rioting 'mob', however the Federal Constitutional Court eventually dropped charges against him, ruling that there can not be a case of "guide and ringleader" during collective actions. (One of his defenders at the time was Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the BRD.) [2]

Party

Jo Leinen is a member of the SPD and had different functions:

  • 1977–1979: Europe-Secretary of the youth of the SPD
  • 1981–1985: member of the committee of environment of the SPD
  • 1985–1999: member of the state-directorate of the SPD Saar
  • 1996 until today: member of the Europe-Commission of the SPD

Career in national politics

From 1985 until 1999, Leinen was a Member of the Landtag of Saarland. He served as State Minister of the Environment in the government of Minister-President Oskar Lafontaine between 1985 and 1994.

From 1995, Leinen was also a substitute member of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), invariably standing in for Lafontaine.[3] In 1999, he was also member of the municipal council of Püttlingen/Saar.

Member of the European Parliament

Leinen was elected Member of the European Parliament without interruption from 1999 until 2019.[4] In parliament, he focused on environment, the development of the unification of the European Union and on foreign affairs. From 2004 he was the President of some key Committees and Delegations in the EP.

In 2015, Leinen was one of the Parliament's two rapporteurs (alongside Danuta Hübner) on a set of proposed changes to EU electoral law that sought to regularize a variety of different electoral systems across the EU.[5]

In addition to his committee assignments, Leinen served on the European Parliament Intergroup on a European Constitution from 1999 until 2009.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, he was part of the working group on European policy, led by Peter Altmaier, Alexander Dobrindt and Achim Post.[6]

EP Parliamentary activities, membership in Committees and in Delegations

Parliamentary activities [7]
Speeches in Plenary Reports - as rapporteur Opinions - as rapporteur Motions for resolutions Written declarations Parliamentary questions
5th Legislature
1999-2004
48 5 0 4 3 11
6th Legislature
2004-2009
83 11 1 8 5 21
7th Legislature
2009-2014
80 4 5 14 3 52
8th Legislature
2014-2019
53 1 4 22 4 18
Membership in EP Committees [7]
President Vice-President Full member Substitute Member
5th Legislature
(1st half)
1999-2002
Committee on
Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Budgets
5th Legislature
(2nd half)
2002-2004
Committee on
Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy
6th Legislature 2004-2009 Committee on
Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Foreign Affairs
7th Legislature
(1st half)
2009-2012
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee on Foreign Affairs
7th Legislature
(2nd half)
2012-2014
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee on Foreign Affairs
8th Legislature
2014-2019
Committee on
Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Membership in EP Delegations [7]
President Full member Substitute Member
5th Legislature
1999-2004
Delegation to the EU-Romania
Joint Parliamentary Committee
6th Legislature
(1st half)
2004-2007
Delegation for relations with the
countries of South Asia and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Delegation to the ACP-EU
Joint Parliamentary Assembly
6th Legislature
(2nd half)
2007-2009
Delegation for relations with the
countries of South Asia
Delegation to the ACP-EU
Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Delegation for relations with India
7th Legislature 2009-2014 Delegation for relations with India Delegation to the ACP-EU
Joint Parliamentary Assembly
8th Legislature
2014-2019
Delegation for relations with the
People's Republic of China
Delegation to the ACP-EU
Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Commitment to European ideal

Leinen was Chairman of the German section of the Young European Federalists (JEF) from 1977 to 1979 and a member of its Federal Committee at European level, then chaired by Richard Corbett. He was European Secretary of the youth section of the SPD (Jusos) and Vice-President of the European Environment Bureau (EEB) in Brussels from 1979 to 1984.

He was member in the Committee of the Regions from 1995 to 1999 and in the Congress of the Regions and Communes of the Council of Europe. Currently, he is member of different organisations of culture, social and sport; and also vice-president of EUROSOLAR e.V (1988-2005).

He was President of the UEF (1997–2005). He served as vice-president of the European Movement International from 2005 to 2011 until in November 2011 he was elected president of the organisation.

Other activities

Leinen has been President of the Union of European Federalists since 1997. In addition, he holds various other positions, including:

Recognition

  • 1985: Award from the environment foundation

Publications

  • Öffentlichkeit in Europa: Europäische Öffentlichkeit als neuer Antrieb für europäische Politik, in: Claudio Franzius/ Ulrich K. Preuss (Hrsg.), Europäische Öffentlichkeit, Baden-Baden 2004, S.31–37.
  • zusammen mit Justus Schönau: Auf dem Weg zur europäischen Demokratie. Politische Parteien auf EU-Ebene: neue Entwicklungen, in: Integration, 3/2003, S. 218–227.

References

  1. ^ "Spree am Ostbahnhof". Kverlagundmultimedia.de. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  2. ^ "Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie: Die Demonstrationsgeschichte der Bundesrepublik". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  3. ^ 21st century frontier-buster European Voice, May 6, 1998.
  4. ^ "Suche" (in German). Europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  5. ^ Maïa de La Baume (November 12, 2015), Parliament wants Europe-wide election of Commission president Politico Europe.
  6. ^ Acht Saar-Politiker bei Koalitionsverhandlungen Saarländischer Rundfunk, January 26, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Jo Leinen". Europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  8. ^ Experts Energy Watch Group (EWG).
  9. ^ Strategic Council European Policy Centre (EPC).
  10. ^ Parliamentary Advisory Board German Industry Initiative for Energy Efficiency (DENEFF).

External links

  • Jo Leinen's website within the European Parliament
  • A Soul for Europe
  • Union of European Federalists
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