Christian Schmidt (politician)

Christian Schmidt ( born August 26, 1957 in Obernzenn ) is a German politician ( CSU) and since February 17, 2014 Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture. From 2005 to 2013 he was Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence, after the parliamentary election in 2013 until the appointment of a Minister Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Education and work

After his primary education in Obernzenn and graduating from high school in 1976 at the Georg Wilhelm Steller -Gymnasium in Bad Windsheim Schmidt made ​​first his military service with the 1st Mountain Division from and subsequently completed in 1977 a study of law in Erlangen and Lausanne, which he in 1982 with the first and 1985 ended with the second State Examination. Since 1985 he has been admitted to the bar; approval has been suspended since November 2005 takeover of the office as Parliamentary Secretary.

Party

Schmidt was as a student member in 1973 of the Junge Union, in 1976 a member of the CSU. From 1980 to 1982 he was Chairman of the JU district association Dietersheim and 1982-1991 of the JU district association of Middle Franconia.

Schmidt was from 1989 to 1993 and again since 1999, a member of the CSU Board. From 1999 to April 2009, he was also chairman of the CSU district association Fürth City. Schmidt is state chairman of the working group 's foreign, security and European Policy (ASP ) of the CSU and since May 2010, state chairman of the Protestant Working Group (EWC) of the CSU. In May 2011, he was also deputy national chairman of the Protestant Working Group of the CDU / CSU.

Since October 8, 2011 Schmidt is vice chairman of the CSU. In this capacity, he represents the party chairman especially in matters of foreign, security and European policy and maintains contact with the friendly parties within the European People's Party, EPP. He maintains relations of the CSU in particular to Israel, Croatia, Austria, the United States and Great Britain.

Member of Parliament

From 1984 to 1990 Schmidt was a member of his hometown Obernzenn and also agree with the district council of the circle Dietersheim - to Bad Windsheim.

Since 1990, Schmidt has been a member of the German Bundestag. He was from 1991 to 2002 chairman of the AK Working Group V ( foreign affairs, defense, Europe) of the CSU group. From 2002 to 2005 he was Chairman of the Working Group on Defense of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, while their defense policy spokesman.

From 1994 to 1998 he was chairman of the German -Israeli and from 1998 to 2005, Chairman of the German -British Parliamentary Friendship Group. He is also a member of the German - Baltic, the German - Croatian and German -Czech Parliamentary Friendship Group and was rapporteur in Parliament on the Treaty of 1992 and the German - Polish neighborhood Treaty of 1991 German - Czechoslovak. , The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs has him 1997 appointed to the Advisory Board of the German - Czech Discussion Forum.

He was also rapporteur for the Parliamentary Participation Act and the question of the use of the Bundeswehr inside.

Christian Schmidt is always drawn as a directly elected member of the Bundestag constituency Fürth in the Bundestag. In the general election in 2013 it reached 49.2 per cent of the primary vote in his constituency.

Secretary of State

As of November 23, 2005 Schmidt was Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Defence. During this time he worked under Ministers Franz Josef Jung, Karl -Theodor zu Guttenberg and Thomas de Maizière. In Schmidt's tenure, inter alia, the dispute about a rehabilitation of the inspector of a fighter pilot in World War II Werner Mölders (2007), the reorientation of the Bundeswehr (since 2010) and the resignation zu Guttenberg as a result of plagiarism affair, which he initially defended against the allegations.

Christian Schmidt has largely used for the establishment and adequate funding of the so-called " hardship Foundation ". Through this foundation, which was established under the umbrella of the soldier 's Fund in May 2012, is in cases of particular hardship, which may have arisen due to the performance of official duties, some support - are made possible - also outside the current pension law.

In the Merkel government III Schmidt joined in 2013 as Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

On him Thomas Silberhorn followed as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Development.

Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture

On February 17, 2014 Schmidt took over from Hans -Peter Friedrich as Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture.

Personal

Christian Schmidt is the third and youngest child of a family of bakers. With his wife Ria, he has been married since 1989. They have two daughters.

Awards

  • 2004: Commander of the Three Star Order
  • 2005: Commander's Cross of Merit of the Republic of Lithuania
  • 2005: Federal Cross of Merit
  • 2007: Bavarian Order of Merit
  • 2012: " Honourable Accolade ( of first degree ) for National Defence", Hungary

Memberships

Christian Schmidt is president of the German Atlantic Association eV and a member of the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation and the Coordination Council of the German - Czech Discussion Forum.

He sits on the board of the Center for International Peace Operations -profit company ( ZIF), the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED dictatorship, the Board of Trustees of the German Foundation for Peace Research, the Board of Trustees of the Association of Defence and Security Policy eV and the Advisory Council of American Jewish Committee V. Schmidt is an honorary member of the Board of humanitarian aid organization Help - Help for self-help e V.

Schmidt is a member of Munich-based comrades circle of mountain troops.

Since 2013 Christian Schmidt is German Advisory Council Chairman of the German - Czech Discussion Forum.

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