Hans-Peter Martin
Encyclopedia
Hans-Peter Martin is an Austria
n journalist
and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament
since 1999.
Born in Bregenz
, Vorarlberg
, Martin worked for the German
weekly news magazine Der Spiegel
. As a freelance writer, he has written and co-authored several popular books, among them The Global Trap: Globalization and the Assault on Prosperity and Democracy
(Die Globalisierungsfalle, 1996) and Bitter Pills (Bittere Pillen) about the pros and cons of pharmaceuticals
.
In the 1999 European Parliament elections
Martin was selected as leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
's group. However, differences with the party's leadership led to his complete break with the SPÖ.
Early in 2004, he accused MEPs
of all parties of falsely claiming reimbursement of travel and subsistence
expenses. He produced evidence of MEP's signing the register in the morning to receive their daily allowance, and then immediately leaving the building. Broadcast on German TV, the accusations caused an uproar. The then European Parliament spokesman Hans Gert Pöttering dismissed Martin's accusations as unnecessarily aggressive and the President of the Parliament Pat Cox
said that he would have preferred to deal with the case internally.
In response, he was accused of claiming too much in meal expenses. He was later cleared of this charge.
Eventually the disclosures and the public outrage they induced resulted in a change of the expense system.
In the 2004 European Parliament elections
Hans-Peter Martin decided to compete on his own party list "Hans-Peter Martin's List – For genuine control and transparency
in Brussels" (Liste Dr. Hans-Peter Martin – Für echte Kontrolle in Brüssel). For an independent he received a surprising 14% of the vote – more than the Greens
or the Austrian Freedom Party – and gained two of Austria's seats in the European Parliament
. He was widely credited with having reduced the vote share of the far-right parties.
His colleague at the time of the elections was Karin Resetarits
, a former journalist with both the ORF
and a private radio station. However, they soon found themselves in heavy disagreement and ceased to work together. She joined the Liberal group
in the European Parliament on June 7, 2005
He also competed in the Austrian legislative elections of 2006
again as an independent but did not obtain a seat in the parliament.
In 2009, Martin flirted with the idea of heading a planned Austrian list of the pan-European eurosceptical
alliance Libertas.eu
, but later rebuffed Libertas' advances. While Libertas finally didn't manage to set up a list at all, Martin successfully competed with his independent list. He even surprised many by increasing his vote share to 18%, giving his list three seats in the European Parliament.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
since 1999.
Born in Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
, Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
, Martin worked for the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
weekly news magazine Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
. As a freelance writer, he has written and co-authored several popular books, among them The Global Trap: Globalization and the Assault on Prosperity and Democracy
The Global Trap
Die Globalisierungsfalle: Der Angriff auf Demokratie und Wohlstand is a 1996 book by Hans-Peter Martin and Harold Schumann that describes possible implications of current trends in globalisation...
(Die Globalisierungsfalle, 1996) and Bitter Pills (Bittere Pillen) about the pros and cons of pharmaceuticals
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
.
In the 1999 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 1999 (Austria)
The European Parliament election of 1999 in Austria was the election of the delegation from Austria to the European Parliament in 1999.-References:...
Martin was selected as leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
's group. However, differences with the party's leadership led to his complete break with the SPÖ.
Early in 2004, he accused MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
of all parties of falsely claiming reimbursement of travel and subsistence
Travel and subsistence
Travel and subsistence expenses describe the cost of spending on business travel, meals, hotels, sundry items such as laundry and similar ad hoc expenditures....
expenses. He produced evidence of MEP's signing the register in the morning to receive their daily allowance, and then immediately leaving the building. Broadcast on German TV, the accusations caused an uproar. The then European Parliament spokesman Hans Gert Pöttering dismissed Martin's accusations as unnecessarily aggressive and the President of the Parliament Pat Cox
Pat Cox
Pat Cox is an Irish politician and former television current affairs presenter. He was President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004 and served as a member of the European Parliament from 1989–2004....
said that he would have preferred to deal with the case internally.
In response, he was accused of claiming too much in meal expenses. He was later cleared of this charge.
Eventually the disclosures and the public outrage they induced resulted in a change of the expense system.
In the 2004 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 2004 (Austria)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in Austria was the election of MEP representing Austria constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 13....
Hans-Peter Martin decided to compete on his own party list "Hans-Peter Martin's List – For genuine control and transparency
Transparency (humanities)
Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed...
in Brussels" (Liste Dr. Hans-Peter Martin – Für echte Kontrolle in Brüssel). For an independent he received a surprising 14% of the vote – more than the Greens
Austrian Green Party
The Greens – The Green Alternative is a political party in the Austrian parliament.The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs The...
or the Austrian Freedom Party – and gained two of Austria's seats in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. He was widely credited with having reduced the vote share of the far-right parties.
His colleague at the time of the elections was Karin Resetarits
Karin Resetarits
Karin Resetarits is an Austrian journalist and politician. She was a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 until 2009.- Early and personal life :...
, a former journalist with both the ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
and a private radio station. However, they soon found themselves in heavy disagreement and ceased to work together. She joined the Liberal group
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the...
in the European Parliament on June 7, 2005
He also competed in the Austrian legislative elections of 2006
Austrian legislative election, 2006
The 2006 general election for the National Council in Austria was held on 1 October 2006.Following the Austrian legislative election, 1999, the Austrian People's Party had formed a coalition government with the Austrian Freedom Party , and later the Alliance for the Future of Austria .As a result...
again as an independent but did not obtain a seat in the parliament.
In 2009, Martin flirted with the idea of heading a planned Austrian list of the pan-European eurosceptical
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
alliance Libertas.eu
Libertas.eu
Libertas is a political party founded by Declan Ganley that took part in the European Parliament election, 2009 in several member states of the European Union.-Preamble:...
, but later rebuffed Libertas' advances. While Libertas finally didn't manage to set up a list at all, Martin successfully competed with his independent list. He even surprised many by increasing his vote share to 18%, giving his list three seats in the European Parliament.
External links
- Website of Hans Peter Martin, German (also in English - the content is not identical with the German version)
- Liste Dr. Martin — für Demokratie, Kontrolle, Gerechtigkeit
- Hans-Peter Martin's Voting Behaviour at VoteWatch.eu