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Martin Schulz

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Martin Schulz, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025
Martin Schulz
Born (1955-12-20) December 20, 1955 (age 70)
Hehlrath (now part of Eschweiler), West Germany
OccupationPolitician
Years active1984–2021
Known forPresident of the European Parliament (2012–2017), Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) (2017–2018)

Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955) is a German political figure who held a seat in the European Parliament from 1994 until 2017 and later served as a Bundestag member between 2017 and 2021. He was the head of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats from 2004 through 2012, presided over the European Parliament from 2012 to 2017, and led the Social Democratic Party (SPD) during 2017–2018.

In November 2016, Schulz declared that he would not pursue a third term as President of the European Parliament and instead aimed to become the SPD’s candidate for Chancellor in the 2017 federal elections. By January 2017, Sigmar Gabriel publicly supported Schulz as his successor for both party leadership and chancellor candidacy.

After the SPD experienced its worst electoral result in September 2017, Schulz withdrew support for Angela Merkel’s Grand Coalition and declined any ministerial role in her administration. Upon completion of coalition negotiations in February 2018, Schulz initially consented to serve as Foreign Minister and planned to resign as party leader in favor of Andrea Nahles. Nevertheless, due to significant backlash, he retracted his cabinet acceptance and resigned as SPD chairman on 13 February 2018.

Early life

Born in Hehlrath—now incorporated into Eschweiler—in western Rhineland close to the borders with the Netherlands and Belgium, Martin Schulz was one of five siblings. His father, Albert Schulz, worked as a local police officer and came from a social democratic lineage; his mother, Clara, was engaged with the Christian Democratic Union and hailed from a conservative Catholic family. Growing up near Germany’s borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, Schulz maintains family connections across all three nations.

Between 1962 and 1966, he attended the Heilig-Geist gymnasium, a private Roman Catholic institution located in Broich (currently part of Würselen). During this period, he took part in a student exchange program in France but ultimately left school without completing his Abitur, having failed the eleventh grade on two occasions.

From 1975 until 1977, Schulz completed training as a bookseller and gained experience working at several publishing companies and bookstores. After successfully overcoming alcoholism through rehabilitation in 1980, he established his own bookstore in Würselen two years later.

Early career in municipal politics, 1987–1998

At age nineteen, Schulz became a member of the SPD and engaged actively with the Young Socialists. In 1984, he secured election to Würselen’s Municipal Council where he served until 1998. Beginning in 1987, at just thirty-one years old—the youngest mayor in North Rhine-Westphalia at that time—he held the mayoral office until 1998. During this period, he facilitated Würselen’s twinning with Morlaix in Brittany, France, establishing connections with Marylise Lebranchu who was then mayor of Morlaix and later served as French Minister of Justice and Minister for Public Services.

Member of the European Parliament (MEP), 1994–2017

Schulz was elected to the European Parliament in the elections of 1994. From 2000 to 2004, he led the SPD delegation while serving on influential committees such as the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and its Subcommittee on Human Rights. He acted as head of the German Socialist delegation starting in 2000 and was deputy chair before ascending to lead the PSE Group in 2004—a position he maintained until assuming the presidency of the European Parliament. Since 2009, Schulz has represented Germany’s SPD on European Affairs matters, guiding its strongly pro-European policy direction.

As leader of S&D in 2004, Schulz opposed confirmation of the Barroso Commission due to controversial statements by Italian nominee Rocco Buttiglione; this opposition contributed to Buttiglione being replaced by Franco Frattini. By 2008, SPD chairman Kurt Beck had considered Schulz for Germany’s EU commissioner role following the 2009 elections; however, Günther Oettinger ultimately filled that position.

President of the European Parliament, 2012–2017

Following the 2009 elections, Schulz rose to prominence by opposing the reappointment of European Commission President Barroso, instead endorsing Guy Verhofstadt as a contender. After Barroso made certain concessions, Schulz eased his opposition, resulting in most members of his political group abstaining during the confidence vote.

On 15 September 2011, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats unanimously selected Schulz as their nominee for President of the European Parliament. He was subsequently elected on 17 January 2012, receiving 387 votes out of 670 cast. During his presidency, Schulz participated in accepting the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union, recognizing its efforts in advancing peace, democracy, and human rights.

Schulz displayed diplomatic acumen through significant engagements such as meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following the 2016 attempted coup and holding discussions with Iranian President Hassan Rohani in 2015 to enhance EU-Iran relations after the nuclear agreement.

In November 2016, Schulz declared he would not pursue a third term as Parliament President and intended to return to politics in Germany. He officially resigned from the European Parliament on 10 February 2017 after more than twenty-two years of service.

Candidacy for President of the European Commission

On 6 November 2013, Schulz was designated as the Party of European Socialists’ (PES) candidate for President of the European Commission. At that time, PES was the second-largest faction within the 750-seat Parliament. Schulz aimed to become the first Commission President elected through a democratic process and faced no opposition in PES's presidential primaries, embarking on a campaign tour across member states and affiliated parties.

He secured official nomination at a PES conference in Rome on 1 March 2014, winning 368 out of 404 votes. Notably, Labour Party in the United Kingdom opposed his candidacy, supporting Denmark’s Helle Thorning-Schmidt instead. Schulz formally launched his European-wide campaign on 17 April in Paris with a platform focused on addressing taxation issues and combating social dumping. His principal rivals included Jean-Claude Juncker from the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and Liberal Guy Verhofstadt.

After the Socialists placed second behind the EPP in the elections, Germany’s Social Democratic Party indicated readiness to allow Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives to occupy Germany’s Commission seat if Schulz remained as President of the European Parliament. This position was later endorsed at an informal gathering of eight Social Democratic leaders, including Thorning-Schmidt and Sigmar Gabriel. As a result, Schulz did not join the European Commission but continued serving as Parliament President.

Domestic politics

Since 1999, Schulz has been part of the leadership within Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), working under chairpersons such as Gerhard Schröder and Sigmar Gabriel. He holds the role of co-chair for the Commission on International Politics alongside Niels Annen. Schulz served as an SPD delegate to several Federal Conventions responsible for electing Germany’s President in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Following the federal elections in 2013, he became part of SPD’s leadership team negotiating coalition agreements with CDU/CSU and led SPD’s delegation on European matters alongside CDU/CSU co-chair Herbert Reul.

During his campaign for European Commission President in 2014, Schulz gained significant attention within German media beyond his European Parliament responsibilities. By 2015, speculation arose regarding his potential candidacy for Chancellor in the upcoming 2017 federal election; however, in May 2016 he ruled out seeking to succeed Angela Merkel. In November that year, Schulz announced he would not pursue a third term as Parliament President but planned to run for a Bundestag seat in 2017, reigniting discussions about his chancellorship ambitions. On 24 January 2017, he was officially confirmed as SPD’s candidate for Chancellor.

2017 federal election

On 24 January 2017, Schulz was selected as the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for chancellor in the upcoming federal election. By March, he had been unanimously chosen as party leader, marking a unique occurrence in post-war German politics. Following his nomination, the SPD experienced a surge of approximately ten percentage points in opinion polls, briefly closing the gap with Chancellor Merkel’s Union parties. At one stage, Schulz even surpassed Merkel in hypothetical direct chancellor matchups.

Despite this initial upswing, Schulz found it challenging to sustain voter enthusiasm amid historically low unemployment rates. Consequently, his campaign shifted emphasis from addressing inequality to focusing on fears related to a potential resurgence of the European migrant crisis. In July 2017, campaign manager Markus Engels resigned due to health issues. Ultimately, the SPD secured only 20.5 percent of the vote in the 24 September election, marking its lowest postwar performance.

Aftermath of the 2017 federal election

Immediately following exit poll results, Schulz and senior SPD leaders announced their intention not to continue the Grand coalition with Merkel’s CDU and planned to move into opposition. Schulz explicitly declined any role within a Merkel-led government. Nevertheless, after the unsuccessful attempt to form a "Jamaica coalition" comprising CDU/CSU, FDP, and Greens in November 2017—and at the urging of President Steinmeier—Schulz reversed his stance and entered negotiations with CDU/CSU for coalition formation.

By February 2018, these talks concluded successfully, with Schulz declaring he would replace Sigmar Gabriel as Foreign Minister. Facing intense criticism both publicly and within the party, he stepped down as SPD leader on 13 February 2018 and recommended Andrea Nahles as his successor. Shortly afterward, Schulz withdrew from consideration for the Foreign Minister position. Nahles’s nomination met resistance from regional party branches and constitutional experts alike. The party executive confirmed Nahles as leader, while Olaf Scholz served as interim leader until the April 2018 party conference.

In December 2020, Schulz announced he would not seek re-election in the 2021 federal elections and intended to retire from active politics at the conclusion of that parliamentary term. Concurrently, he was elected chairman of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, a role he continues to hold.

European integration

Schulz is widely recognized as a staunch supporter of European integration. He has lauded European unification as one of the most significant civilizational achievements of the last century. In 2014, he advocated for transferring certain responsibilities from Brussels back to national and local governments to enable the EU to concentrate on its core priorities. His pro-European approach led to his association with the slogan "MEGA"—"Make Europe Great Again"—a play on US President Donald Trump’s "Make America Great Again."

Dedicated to reinforcing European institutions, Schulz collaborated with Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel in 2016 to present a ten-point EU reform plan that called for streamlined governance structures and a robust European government accountable directly to the European Parliament.

He frequently emphasized that the EU serves as humanity’s best safeguard against twentieth-century evils such as racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism. Nonetheless, some critics like The Jerusalem Post dismissed his remarks on antisemitism as superficial condemnations lacking substantive impact.

Following Britain’s 2016 referendum decision to leave the EU, Schulz warned that dismantling European mechanisms could resurrect historical dangers. He was also among twenty-seven initiators of the EU’s Charter of Digital Fundamental Rights released in November 2016.

In December 2017, Schulz proposed drafting a new constitutional treaty aimed at creating a "United States of Europe." He envisioned this constitution being formulated through a convention involving civil society representatives and citizens alike, with member states unwilling to comply required to leave the union. This ambitious proposal was expectedly met with resistance from Chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU leaders.

Security policy

On 19 December 2013, Schulz acknowledged his role in launching the Cox-Kwaśniewski initiative to Ukraine within the European Council. He underscored Europe's reliance on the United States for military capabilities, pointing out that European operations frequently depend on American assistance.

Schulz remarked: "To protect our principles and interests and ensure the safety of our citizens, most MEPs agree on the necessity of establishing a command center for both civilian and military missions in Brussels, alongside deployable forces." The External Action Service under HRUFASP Catherine Ashton advocated for forming a European Air Force equipped with surveillance drones, heavy-lift aircraft, and air-to-air refueling capabilities. This proposal found backing from France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Germany, who together held a QMV majority. Nevertheless, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen reaffirmed that "Nato will remain the foundation of Euro-Atlantic security," reflecting the prevailing stance at that time since QMV did not apply to European Council decisions until November 2014.

Economy

Schulz emphasizes the importance of dignified employment and rejects the concept of an unconditional basic income. He supports fair wage negotiations, job security, employee involvement in corporate governance, and assessing the social legitimacy of claims and benefits.

Foreign affairs

In 2008, Schulz headed a delegation from the European Parliament to Havana to discuss lifting EU sanctions imposed on Cuba.

During a 2014 address to the Israeli Knesset, Schulz criticized Israel's restriction of equitable water access for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. His remarks led to members of the Jewish Home party walking out and drew a formal reprimand from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Amidst the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War in 2015, Schulz halted a joint committee of Russian and EU legislators aimed at fostering improved relations. He condemned Russia's exclusion of two EU parliamentarians from attending the funeral of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, labeling it "a serious insult to EU–Russia relations and democratic values."

In 2016, Schulz characterized Donald Trump as a global challenge tied to the surge of far-right populism across Europe, describing him as an "irresponsible individual" who "proudly admits ignorance."

Other activities

Berlusconi incident

Following Italy's assumption of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU on 2 July 2003, Schulz openly criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's internal policies. In response, Berlusconi sarcastically suggested Schulz should portray a kapo in a movie about Nazi concentration camps. Berlusconi later asserted that his comment was an ironic reference to the comedy series Hogan's Heroes. Despite this explanation, his Nazi comparison sparked a brief diplomatic dispute.

Confrontation with Godfrey Bloom

On 24 November 2010, British MEP Godfrey Bloom disrupted Schulz's address in the European Parliament by shouting the Nazi chant Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer and labeling him an 'undemocratic fascist'. Bloom clarified that his remark was intended to highlight the persistent influence of Nazi indoctrination on some Germans' acceptance of multiculturalism. Schulz had earlier condemned the United Kingdom's role in Euro Stability Pact negotiations and criticized eurosceptics for wishing to see the EU's disintegration. In response to the disturbance, Parliament President Jerzy Buzek expelled Bloom from the chamber. Dutch MEP Barry Madlener opposed this exclusion, pointing out that Schulz had previously referred to PVV MEP Daniël van der Stoep as a fascist without any consequent removal.

Issues related to campaign conduct

Schulz attracted criticism for repurposing the Twitter account originally created by his team during his tenure as European Parliament President into a personal tool to promote his candidacy for the European Commission presidency.

While serving as European Parliament President, Schulz eliminated a critical section from a significant committee report slated for discussion on 2 April 2014, which led to negative reactions. Following this, on 4 April 2014, a substantial majority in the European Parliament voted to request his resignation so he could dedicate himself fully to campaigning in the upcoming European elections.

Additionally, Schulz was reproached for receiving a tax-exempt daily allowance of €304—disbursed throughout the year until 18 April 2014—while actively campaigning for Commission President. This was supplementary to his €200,000 yearly salary, whereas other parliament members only receive such allowances when performing official duties.

Allegations of favoritism towards close associates

In April 2017, the European Parliament criticized two personnel choices made by Schulz during his presidency. One employee, considered a close confidant who later became SPD campaign manager, was granted an expatriation allowance amounting to approximately €20,000 despite residing primarily in Berlin. Schulz also faced accusations of authorizing irregular promotions that secured financially favorable positions for trusted associates beyond his term in office. He dismissed these allegations as politically motivated attacks from "anti-Europeans, conservatives and Greens," noting that the European Anti-Fraud Office declined to launch an investigation.

Debate over Foreign Minister position

On election day in 2017, Schulz ruled out serving as a minister under Angela Merkel’s government or participating in Grand Coalition talks. Nevertheless, after coalition agreements between SPD and Union parties were finalized in February 2018, Schulz expressed interest in assuming the role of Foreign Minister. This sudden change drew sharp criticism from within the SPD base and incumbent Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who accused Schulz of disrespect and breaking prior commitments. Confronted with internal dissent and public disapproval, Schulz withdrew his statements on 9 February 2018, declaring he would not join the new cabinet; he stepped down as SPD leader effective 13 February 2018.

Personal life

Schulz is married and has two children named Nico and Lina. Although raised in a Catholic family, he no longer practices the faith. After a knee injury ended his aspirations in football during youth, he struggled with alcoholism. Schulz is proficient in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch at various levels.

Domestic Distinctions

International Accolades

South American Recognition

Asian Honour

External links


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