Christian Schmidt
High Representative since August 1, 2021
- Federal Minister (former)
- Member of the German Bundestag since 1990
- Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and rapporteur for the Western Balkan States
- Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture from 17 February 2014 to 14 March 2018
- Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2013 to 2014
- Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense from 2005 to 2013
- Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group for Defense 2002-2005
- Chairman of the Parliamentary Working Group for Foreign Policy, Defense and European Affairs for the CSU Parliamentary Group 1991- 2002
- Representing CSU Parliamentary Group in the Western Balkans advisory circle of Chancellor Helmut Kohl from 1992 to 1998
- President of the German Atlantic Association since 2006
- Vice-Chair of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation since 2018
- Treasurer and member of the Presidency of the European People’s Party
- Vice-Chair of the CSU from 2011 to 2017
- Born in 1957 in Obernzenn (Franconia); married, father of two children
- Lawyer by profession; University of Erlangen and University of Lausanne