Board of Advisors

Member, Board of Advisors

Mr Elmar Brok is the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament. An MEP since 1980, he has held many important leadership positions in German and European politics.

Mr Brok was born in Germany in 1946. He studied law and politics in Germany and at the Centre for European Governmental Studies at the University of Edinburgh. He worked as a radio journalist and newspaper correspondent. He was Senior Vice President for Media Development at Bertelsmann AG.

Mr Brok has held numerous leadership positions for the Christian Democratic Party in Germany, including Deputy Federal Chairman of the Junge Union (CDU youth section) (1973-1981), Chairman of the CDU Federal Committee on Foreign and Security Policy (1989-1999), CDU District Chairman of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (since 1996), Secretary of the CDU Land Executive of North Rhine-Westphalia (since 1996), Chairman of the CDU Federal Committee on European policy (since 1999), Assistant Chairman of the International Democrat Union (since 1991), Deputy Chairman of the European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (since 1991), and Chairman of the European Union of Christian Democratic Workers.

Mr Brok has also held several leadership positions in the European Parliament, including Member of the European People’s Party (EPP) Political Bureau, Member of the EPP Group Bureau, Coordinator in the European Parliament committees on social affairs, drugs and German unity, European Parliament Representative on the Council's Reflection Group for Maastricht II, European Parliament Representative at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Treaty of Amsterdam, European Parliament Representative at the 2000 Intergovernmental Conference, and EPP coordinator in the European Convention.

Mr Brok is a Member of the Board of the Institute for German and European Party Law. He has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit (First Class) and the Grand Golden Decoration of the Republic of Austria.