Axel Schäfer | |
|---|---|
 Axel Schäfer in 2014 | |
| Member of theBundestag | |
| In office 2002–2025 | |
| Member of the European Parliament forGermany | |
| In office 1994–1999 | |
| Constituency | Party list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Axel Helmut Schäfer (1952-08-03)3 August 1952 (age 73) |
| Political party | SPD |
Axel Helmut Schäfer (born 3 August 1952) is a German politician of theSocial Democratic Party (SPD). Born inFrankfurt,Hesse, he served as a member of theBundestag from the state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia from 2002 to 2025.
After attending elementary school in 1959, he transferred to high school in 1963, graduating in 1968. In the same year, he began vocational training in the public service, which included both vocational school and a training institute. Subsequently, he participated in further education atRuhr University Bochum from 1981 to 1982 to deepen his knowledge and skills.
He began his professional career in 1968 in the city administration of Frankfurt am Main before moving to the city administration ofBochum in 1972. From 1983 to 1984, he served as the head of the European election office in the SPD party headquarters, where he gained significant experience in the political arena under the leadership ofWilly Brandt. Following this, he took over as head of the European office in the SPD district ofWestern Westphalia from 1984 to 1994, where he played a key role in shaping and implementing European policy issues.[1]
Following the1994 elections, Schäfer served as a one-termMember of the European Parliament. During his time in parliament, he was a member of the Committee on Institutional Affairs and the parliament's delegation to the EU-Poland Joint Parliamentary Committee.[2]
Schäfer first became a member of the Bundestag in the2002 German federal election.[3] He was a member of the Committee on European Union Affairs.[4]
Schäfer led the Bundestag group of SPD parliamentarians fromNorth Rhine-Westphalia, the largest delegation within the party's parliamentary group from 2005 until 2013. From 2010 until 2017, he served as deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group under the leadership of successive chairpersonsFrank-Walter Steinmeier (2010–2013),Thomas Oppermann (2013–2017) andAndrea Nahles (2017).
In the negotiations to form aGrand Coalition ofChancellorAngela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU together with the BavarianCSU) and the SPD following the2013 German elections, Schäfer was part of the SPD delegation in the working group on banking regulation and theEurozone, led byHerbert Reul andMartin Schulz.
In addition to his committee assignments, Schäfer chaired the German-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Group from 2018 to 2025. Also in 2018, he joined the German delegation to theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).[5] In the Assembly, he served on the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee); the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media; and the Sub-Committee on Conflicts between Council of Europe Member States. AlongsideRia Oomen-Ruijten, he was the Assembly’sco-rapporteur onRussia.[6]
In October 2024, Schäfer announced that he would not stand in the2025 federal elections but instead resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term.[7]
Within his parliamentary group, Schäfer belongs to theParliamentary Left, a left-wing movement.[8]
FollowingAndrea Nahles’ resignation as chairwoman of the SPD in 2019, Schäfer proposedManuela Schwesig andStefan Weil as new leaders.[9] Ahead of the party’s2019 leadership election, he publicly endorsedOlaf Scholz andFranziska Giffey as potential chairpersons.[10]
Amid theCOVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Schäfer supported legislation requiring all adults to be vaccinated.[11]
Following the2025 elections, Schäfer endorsedBärbel Bas as candidate to succeedSaskia Esken as co-chair of the SPD.[12]
