Jo Leinen

Joseph Leinen (born 6 April 1948) is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 until 2019. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists.

He is well known for his environmental and foreign affairs activities, as well as for his support for a Federal Europe. He obtained a law degree in Germany in 1972 and a Certificate of Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, in 1974. Since 1977 he has worked as a lawyer.

Extraparliamentary tasks
Leinen became publicly known as a spokesman of the anti-nuclear movement and the peace movement (1980), he was also active for the Bundesverband Bürgerinitiativen Umweltschutz (BBU). He received the nickname "container-Jo" during a demonstration, having climbed a container in order to coordinate protest actions by megaphone. Because of his participation at a demonstration against the Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (1981), he was briefly charged with being "guide and ringleader" of a rioting 'mob', however the Federal Constitutional Court eventually dropped charges against him, ruling that there can not be a case of "guide and ringleader" during collective actions. (One of his defenders at the time was Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the BRD.)

Party
Jo Leinen is a member of the SPD and had different functions:
 * 1977–1979: Europe-Secretary of the youth of the SPD
 * 1981–1985: member of the committee of environment of the SPD
 * 1985–1999: member of the state-directorate of the SPD Saar
 * 1996 until today: member of the Europe-Commission of the SPD

Career in national politics
From 1985 until 1999, Leinen was a Member of the Landtag of Saarland. He served as State Minister of the Environment in the government of Minister-President Oskar Lafontaine between 1985 and 1994.

From 1995, Leinen was also a substitute member of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), invariably standing in for Lafontaine. In 1999, he was also member of the municipal council of Püttlingen/Saar.

Member of the European Parliament
Leinen was elected Member of the European Parliament without interruption from 1999 until 2019. In parliament, he focused on environment, the development of the unification of the European Union and on foreign affairs. From 2004 he was the President of some key Committees and Delegations in the EP.

In 2015, Leinen was one of the Parliament's two rapporteurs (alongside Danuta Hübner) on a set of proposed changes to EU electoral law that sought to regularize a variety of different electoral systems across the EU.

In addition to his committee assignments, Leinen served on the European Parliament Intergroup on a European Constitution from 1999 until 2009.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, he was part of the working group on European policy, led by Peter Altmaier, Alexander Dobrindt and Achim Post.

Commitment to European ideal
Leinen was Chairman of the German section of the Young European Federalists (JEF) from 1977 to 1979 and a member of its Federal Committee at European level, then chaired by Richard Corbett. He was European Secretary of the youth section of the SPD (Jusos) and Vice-President of the European Environment Bureau (EEB) in Brussels from 1979 to 1984.

He was member in the Committee of the Regions from 1995 to 1999 and in the Congress of the Regions and Communes of the Council of Europe. Currently, he is member of different organisations of culture, social and sport; and also vice-president of EUROSOLAR e.V (1988-2005).

He was President of the UEF (1997–2005). He served as vice-president of the European Movement International from 2005 to 2011 until in November 2011 he was elected president of the organisation.

Other activities
Leinen has been President of the Union of European Federalists since 1997. In addition, he holds various other positions, including:
 * Committee for a Democratic UN, Member of the Advisory Council (since 2004)
 * Energy Watch Group (EWG), Member
 * Union of European Federalists (UEF) Europa-Union Deutschland
 * European Movement International, Member
 * European Policy Centre (EPC), Member of the Strategic Council
 * German Industry Initiative for Energy Efficiency (DENEFF), Member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board
 * "A Soul for Europe", Parliamentarian Working Group of the Advisory Board

Recognition

 * 1985: Award from the environment foundation

Publications

 * Öffentlichkeit in Europa: Europäische Öffentlichkeit als neuer Antrieb für europäische Politik, in: Claudio Franzius/ Ulrich K. Preuss (Hrsg.), Europäische Öffentlichkeit, Baden-Baden 2004, S.31–37.
 * zusammen mit Justus Schönau: Auf dem Weg zur europäischen Demokratie. Politische Parteien auf EU-Ebene: neue Entwicklungen, in: Integration, 3/2003, S. 218–227.