German members of the Council

ECFR has brought together a distinguished Council of over 330 Members – serving politicians, decision-makers, thinkers and business leaders from across the EU – which meets once a year as a full body. Through geographical and thematic task forces, members provide ECFR staff with advice and feedback on policy ideas and contribute to ECFR’s activities in their own countries.

ECFR’s German Council members include:

  • Knut Abraham – Member of the Bundestag
  • Niels Annen – Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development; Member of the Bundestag
  • Thomas Bagger – State Secretary, Federal Foreign Office
  • Ottilie Bälz – Senior Vice President for Global Issues, Robert Bosch Stiftung
  • Franziska Brantner – Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action; Member of the Bundestag
  • Sandra Breka – Vice President and COO, Open Society Foundations
  • Saskia Bruysten – Co-founder, Carbon Equity; Co-Founder, Yunus Social Business
  • Reinhard Bütikofer – Member of the European Parliament
  • Julia De Clerck-Sachsse – Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
  • Florian Eder – Senior Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung
  • Joschka Fischer – Emeritus Chair, ECFR; former Minister of Foreign Affairs; former Vice-Chancellor of Germany
  • Benedikt Franke – CEO and Vice-Chairman, Munich Security Conference
  • Alexander Graf Lambsdorff – German Ambassador to Russia
  • Anna Herrhausen – Executive Board Member, Phineo gAG
  • Christoph Heusgen – Ambassador; Chair, Munich Security Conference
  • Ina Heusgen – Federal Government Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Foreign Office
  • Wolfgang Ischinger – President, Munich Security Conference Foundation Council
  • Roderich Kiesewetter – Member of the Bundestag
  • Lars Klingbeil – Federal Minister of Finance
  • Stefan Kornelius – Political Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung
  • Sergey Lagodinsky – Member of the European Parliament 
  • Nathanael Liminski – Minister for Federal, European, International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
  • Stefan Mair – Director, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)
  • Johannes Meier – Chair of the Advisory Board, Stiftung Mercator
  • Almut Möller – Director for European and Global Affairs & Head of the Europe in the World programme, European Policy Centre
  • Hannah Neumann – Member of the European Parliament
  • Dietmar Nietan – Member of the Bundestag
  • Omid Nouripour – Co-Chair,  Bündnis 90/Die Grünen; Member of the Bundestag
  • Cem Özdemir – Minister for Agriculture; Member of the Bundestag
  • Norbert Röttgen – Co-Chair, ECFR; Member of the Bundestag
  • Klaus Scharioth – Dean, Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs; former Ambassador of Germany to the United States
  • Wolfgang Schmidt – Head of the Federal Chancellery; Federal Minister for Special Tasks
  • Caroline Schmutte – Managing Director, Berlin Global Dialogue
  • Michael Schwarz – Managing Director, Baden-Baden Entrepreneur Talks
  • Daniela Schwarzer – Member of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung
  • Christoph Steck – Director of Public Policy Spain and Portugal, Amazon
  • Sabine Stricker-Kellerer – Lawyer, SSK Asia
  • Eckart von Klaeden – Head of External Affairs, Mercedes-Benz Group AG; former Minister of State at the Federal Chancellery
  • Stella Voutta – Director for Peace and Strategic Partnerships, Robert Bosch Stiftung
  • Johann Wadephul – Federal Foreign Minister 
  • Sabine Weyand – Director General, Directorate General for Trade, European Commission
  • André Wilkens – Director, European Cultural Foundation; Co-Founder, Die Offene Gesellschaft
  • Guntram Wolff – Director and CEO, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
  • Jeromin Zettelmeyer – Director, Bruegel