Martin Schirdewan

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Martin Schirdewan
MEP
Erfurter Parteitag Juni 2022 - 52172484264.jpg
Schirdewan in 2022
Leader of The Left
Assumed office
25 June 2022
Serving with Janine Wissler
DeputyAtes Gürpinar
Lorenz Gösta Beutin
Katina Schubert
Jana Seppelt
Preceded bySusanne Hennig-Wellsow
Leader of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
Assumed office
18 July 2019
Serving with Manon Aubry
Preceded byGabriele Zimmer
Member of the European Parliament
for Germany
Assumed office
8 November 2017
Preceded byFabio De Masi
Personal details
Born (1975-07-12) 12 July 1975 (age 46)
East Berlin, East Germany (now Germany)
Political partyThe Left
Children1
Relatives
Alma materFree University of Berlin (Dr. rer. pol.)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Journalist
  • Political Staffer
WebsiteOfficial website

Martin Schirdewan (born 12 July 1975) is a German journalist and politician. Since 2022 he is co-chair of the federal party The Left. He is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Germany from 8 November 2017 to 2022, following the resignation of Fabio De Masi. He is a member of The Left (German: Die Linke), and was elected co-chair of The Left in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL) parliamentary grouping in 2019.[1] As a group co-chair, he was a member of the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament,[1] the body responsible for the administration of the parliament.

Political career[edit]

Schirdewan was born in East Berlin. From 1998 to 2003, he studied at the Free University of Berlin,[2] before achieving a doctorate in political science in 2007.[2]

Between 2001 and 2008, Schirdewan was editor of the magazine Utopie kreativ (Creative Utopia), published by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. From 2006 until 2015, he was a researcher for a Bundestag member from The Left[2] and was senior editor of Sacco & Vanzetti, the youth magazine of socialist daily newspaper Neues Deutschland.[2] From 2015 until his appointment to the European Parliament, he was head of the Brussels office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and of its Athens "liaison office", as well as establishing a liaison office in Madrid.[2] From 2012 to 2015 and again in 2018, Schirdewan served on the party executive of The Left.[2] Since being appointed to the European Parliament, Schirdewan has served as a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON),[1] and as a substitute for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).[1]

On 2 March 2022, Schirdewan was one of 13 MEPs who voted against condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He responded through a spokesperson with a statement by the party delegation, saying that while it condemned Russia's invasion as a "blatant breach of international law", it was against sending arms to Ukraine on the grounds that it violated EU directives on arms export to war and crisis zone.[3] During the 8th party congress in June 2022, alongside incumbent chair Janine Wissler, he was elected co-chair winning 61,3 percent of votes cast.[4]

Personal life[edit]

Schirdewan is a grandson of East German politician Karl Schirdewan. [5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Martin Schirdewan". European Parliament. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Curriculum vitae — Martin Schirdewan". European Parliament. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  3. ^ Crowcroft, Orlando (3 March 2022). "MEPs were asked to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 13 voted no. Here's why". World Today News. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 'The intended delivery of lethal equipment to the Ukrainian army worth 450 million euros ultimately means the final departure from the common position of the EU arms export directives, which prohibit arms exports to war and crisis zones. These arms exports are a breach of taboo in European foreign policy,' it said.
  4. ^ ": Wissler und Schirdewan neue Parteichefs". ZDF (in German). 25 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  5. ^ Reinhard Kärbsch (May 2014). "1. Mai in Hoyerswerda" (PDF). Lausitzer Linksdruck (in German). Vol. 5, no. 52. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2020. Ich bin ein Enkel von Opa Karl. ... Ich habe mit ihm zusammengelebt. Wir saßen an Frühstücks- und anderen Tischen zusammen und haben uns über Politisches und Geschichtliches unterhalten, gestritten und oft unsere unterschiedlichen Ansichten behalten. Aber die kritische, wissenschaftliche Analyse sozialer, wirtschaftlicher und sonstiger gesellschaftlicher Prozesse als Grundlage des politischen Handelns, das hat er mir vermittelt.

External links[edit]


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