Friedbert Pflüger
Encyclopedia
Friedbert Pflüger is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU). Since 2009, he is a Visiting Professor of International Relations at King's College London
. He was a Member of the German Parliament
1990-2006, serving as chairman of the Bundestag's EU-committee (1998-2002) and as foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU
parliamentary group (2002-2005). He was Secretary of State
in the Federal Ministry of Defence
(2005-2006), and was the CDU's candidate for Governing Mayor of Berlin
in the Berlin state election, 2006
. Since 2006, he is a member of the Berlin House of Representatives. Pflüger is a member of the executive board of the CDU.
(university entrance qualification) at Friedrich Schiller High School in Hanover in 1973. He studied political science
, public and constitutional law and economics in Göttingen
, Bonn
and at Harvard
. He received his Master of Arts degree in 1980 and in 1982 his Dr. phil. degree. His doctoral thesis was directed by Karl Dietrich Bracher
and examined US-foreign policy "between idealism and realism". In 1980/81, he was a graduate student associate at the Harvard Center for International Affairs (CFIA) under the auspices of Prof. Samuel Huntington. He also taught a seminar on US-human rights policy at Harvard.
From 1977 to 1985, Pflüger was also a member of the federal executive committee of the Junge Union (youth section of the CDU/CSU) and, since 2000, a member of the federal executive committee of the CDU. In December 2008, he was re-elected to this position by the CDU National Congress in Stuttgart
. Since 2006, Pflüger has also been a member of the Executive Council of the European Peoples Party (EPP).
From 1981 to 1984, he worked for the governing mayor of Berlin
, Richard von Weizsäcker. When Weizsäcker became the Federal President
of Germany in 1984, Pflüger became his spokesman, a job he kept during all the presidency until 1989. Until today, Pflüger sees von Weizsäcker as a "father figure".
Between 1989 and 1991, Pflüger became the manager of the Matuschka Group, Berlin, at that time a leading German investment bank.
In 1990, he was elected as a member of the Bundestag
(the German Parliament ), a position in which he remained until 2006. As such, he was from 1994 to 1998 disarmament policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. From 1998 to 2002, Pflüger was chairman of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union. In the years from 2002 to 2005, he served as foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group. In November 2006, Pflüger was appointed Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, a position in which he remained until October 2007.
In March 2006, Pflüger was elected the top candidate of the CDU for the elections in the State of Berlin in September. After spending almost no time preparing his election campaign, he lost to Klaus Wowereit of the Social Democrat Party (SPD), as all the polls had indicated. Keeping his promise to remain active in Berlin politics even in case of an electoral defeat, Pflüger assumed the responsibility as the chairman of the CDU Parliamentary Group in the Berlin House of Representatives and gave up his position as a Parliamentary State Secretary. As an opposition leader, he has since then fought, unsuccessfully, against the closure of Tempelhof Airport. Another aim of his work is to create a more business-friendly environment in Berlin, in order to reduce the high unemployment rate. Pflüger is also concerned about ecologic ways of city-development. Pflüger is an outspoken advocate of opening the CDU for a possible coalition with the Free Democrats
(FDP) and the Greens
(a so-called "Jamaica"-coalition).
During his political career, Pflüger has written books, especially on environment/energy and on foreign and security policy. A New World War?: the Islamist Challenge to the West (Ein neuer Weltkrieg? Die islamistische Herausforderung des Westens), which was published in 2004.
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
(CDU). Since 2009, he is a Visiting Professor of International Relations at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. He was a Member of the German Parliament
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
1990-2006, serving as chairman of the Bundestag's EU-committee (1998-2002) and as foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU, unofficially also referred to as the Union parties or the Union, is the name of the Bundestag parliamentary faction comprising the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria , considered to be sister parties...
parliamentary group (2002-2005). He was Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
in the Federal Ministry of Defence
Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Defence is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
(2005-2006), and was the CDU's candidate for Governing Mayor of Berlin
Governing Mayor of Berlin
The Governing Mayor of Berlin is the head of government in the city-state of Berlin, one of the States of Germany. It is the equivalent of the Ministers-President of the other German states except the two other city-states of Hamburg and Bremen, where the heads of government are called "First...
in the Berlin state election, 2006
Berlin state election, 2006
The Berlin state election, 2006, was held on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.After the elections the Social Democratic Party under Klaus Wowereit and the Left Party formed a coalition government....
. Since 2006, he is a member of the Berlin House of Representatives. Pflüger is a member of the executive board of the CDU.
Background and education
Friedbert Pflüger received his AbiturAbitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
(university entrance qualification) at Friedrich Schiller High School in Hanover in 1973. He studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, public and constitutional law and economics in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He received his Master of Arts degree in 1980 and in 1982 his Dr. phil. degree. His doctoral thesis was directed by Karl Dietrich Bracher
Karl Dietrich Bracher
Karl Dietrich Bracher is a German political scientist and historian of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Born in Stuttgart, Bracher was awarded a Ph.D. in the Classics by the University of Tübingen in 1948 and subsequently studied at Harvard University from 1949 to 1950...
and examined US-foreign policy "between idealism and realism". In 1980/81, he was a graduate student associate at the Harvard Center for International Affairs (CFIA) under the auspices of Prof. Samuel Huntington. He also taught a seminar on US-human rights policy at Harvard.
Political career
Since 1971, Pflüger has been a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). The first political offices he held were as deputy chairman of the European Democrat Students (EDS) from 1976 to 1978 and as federal chairman of the Association of Christian Democrat Students (RCDS) from 1977 to 1978.From 1977 to 1985, Pflüger was also a member of the federal executive committee of the Junge Union (youth section of the CDU/CSU) and, since 2000, a member of the federal executive committee of the CDU. In December 2008, he was re-elected to this position by the CDU National Congress in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Since 2006, Pflüger has also been a member of the Executive Council of the European Peoples Party (EPP).
From 1981 to 1984, he worked for the governing mayor of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Richard von Weizsäcker. When Weizsäcker became the Federal President
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
of Germany in 1984, Pflüger became his spokesman, a job he kept during all the presidency until 1989. Until today, Pflüger sees von Weizsäcker as a "father figure".
Between 1989 and 1991, Pflüger became the manager of the Matuschka Group, Berlin, at that time a leading German investment bank.
In 1990, he was elected as a member of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(the German Parliament ), a position in which he remained until 2006. As such, he was from 1994 to 1998 disarmament policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. From 1998 to 2002, Pflüger was chairman of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union. In the years from 2002 to 2005, he served as foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group. In November 2006, Pflüger was appointed Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, a position in which he remained until October 2007.
In March 2006, Pflüger was elected the top candidate of the CDU for the elections in the State of Berlin in September. After spending almost no time preparing his election campaign, he lost to Klaus Wowereit of the Social Democrat Party (SPD), as all the polls had indicated. Keeping his promise to remain active in Berlin politics even in case of an electoral defeat, Pflüger assumed the responsibility as the chairman of the CDU Parliamentary Group in the Berlin House of Representatives and gave up his position as a Parliamentary State Secretary. As an opposition leader, he has since then fought, unsuccessfully, against the closure of Tempelhof Airport. Another aim of his work is to create a more business-friendly environment in Berlin, in order to reduce the high unemployment rate. Pflüger is also concerned about ecologic ways of city-development. Pflüger is an outspoken advocate of opening the CDU for a possible coalition with the Free Democrats
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
(FDP) and the Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
(a so-called "Jamaica"-coalition).
During his political career, Pflüger has written books, especially on environment/energy and on foreign and security policy. A New World War?: the Islamist Challenge to the West (Ein neuer Weltkrieg? Die islamistische Herausforderung des Westens), which was published in 2004.