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Ralph Brinkhaus | |
|---|---|
 Brinkhaus at the 2019 CDU party congress | |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 8 December 2021 – 15 February 2022 | |
| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz |
| Preceded by | Alexander Gauland Alice Weidel |
| Succeeded by | Friedrich Merz |
| Leader of theCDU/CSU Group in theBundestag | |
| In office 25 September 2018 – 15 February 2022 | |
| First Deputy | Alexander Dobrindt |
| Chief Whip | Michael Grosse-Brömer Thorsten Frei |
| Preceded by | Volker Kauder |
| Succeeded by | Friedrich Merz |
| Member of theBundestag forGütersloh I | |
| Assumed office 27 October 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Hubert Deittert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-06-15)15 June 1968 (age 57) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union (1998–) |
| Spouse | |
| Residence | Gütersloh |
| Alma mater | University of Hohenheim |
| Website | ralph-brinkhaus |
Ralph Brinkhaus (born 15 June 1968) is a German politician of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU). He served asparliamentary leader of theCDU/CSU parliamentary group in theBundestag between 2018 and 2022, and as such acted as the opposition leader between December 2021 and February 2022.[1]
In 2009, he was directly elected to the German Bundestag in the ConstituencyGütersloh I and has been a member of the Bundestag ever since. He is Chairman of the regional CDU inOstwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) and used to be the Chairman of the local CDU in Gütersloh until March 2019.
Since May 2025, Brinkhaus holds the position as Chairman of the Working Group of Digital and State Modernisation of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group at the German Bundestag.[2]
Brinkhaus was born on 15 June 1968 inWiedenbrück,North Rhine-Westphalia, and grew up inRietberg. After completing vocational training atBosch and military services atField Marshal Rommel Barracks, Augustdorf, he studied economics at theUniversity of Hohenheim. He holds a degree in economics and is a certified tax advisor.
Early in his career, Brinkhaus worked atDeloitte inHannover,Babcock Borsig inOberhausen, as well as atMedion inEssen andMülheim. In 2004, he set himself down as independent tax advisor in Gütersloh.
Brinkhaus was elected member of theGütersloh city council in 2004, a position he held until 2012. From 2007 to 2009, he was the party's group leader at that council. In 2004, he also became a member of the district CDU executive committee.
Brinkhaus has been a member of the GermanBundestag since the2009 German federal elections, succeeding Hubert Deittert.[3] From 2009 until 2013, he served on the Finance Committee, where he was his parliamentary group’srapporteur onbanks andinsurances. Between 2014 and 2018, he was deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group at the German Bundestag. In this capacity, he was the group's main spokesman for budgetary, financial and municipal issues.[4]
Brinkhaus was elected CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader on 25 September 2018, with 125 votes from the parliamentary group members against incumbent Volker Kauder's 112 votes.[5][6][7] Brinkhaus subsequently led the group with his co-chairman from CSU,Alexander Dobrindt, until early 2022.
Brinkhaus has been a member of the Committee on European Affairs and the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development between 2022 and 2025.[2]
Since May 2025, he has been Chairman of the CDU/CSU's Working Group on Digitalisation and State Modernisation at the German Bundestag.[2]
In addition to his committee assignments, Brinkhaus chaired the German-Indian Parliamentary Friendship Group from 2014 until 2017, and from 2021 until 2025. He has further been a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development since the last electoral period.
From 2016 to 2021, Brinkhaus also served as the deputy head of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, under the leadership of chairmanArmin Laschet.[4][8] In the negotiations to form acoalition government of the CDU andGreen Party under Laschet following the2017 state elections, he was part of his party’s delegation in the Working Group on Economic Affairs, Infrastructure und Financial Policy.[9] In the negotiations to form acoalition government under the leadership ofChancellorAngela Merkel following the2017 federal elections, Brinkhaus was also part of the CDU delegation.[10]
Brinkhaus advocates for a comprehensive modernisation of the state. In 2024, he published a document titled100 Proposals for the Neustaat, in which he detailed how he intends to restructure the state and make it future-proof.[11]
Brinkhaus is considered conservative and, within his parliamentary group, is seen as "calm and factual". During the Eurozone crisis, he was a critic of "overly generous" financial aid.
He advocated for engaging "with those who have turned away from us" and for taking greater care than before of protest voters - specifically those from the AfD.
In votes, Brinkhaus typically voted in line with the coalition. In 2018, he stated that redistribution was necessary to prevent societal disparities from growing too large. In relation to social policy, Brinkhaus remarked in 2018 that social cohesion could not be achieved through increased welfare benefits ("We cannot fill the gaps in society with public funds"). Brinkhaus argues that "the particularly wealthy (...) are already being asked to pay in Germany." He views investment via the issuance of government bonds with scepticism.[12]
Brinkhaus is also involved with the Stephanus Circle, an interdenominational discussion forum within the CDU/CSU parliamentary group that advocates for tolerance and religious freedom, and, according to its own statements, aims to give persecuted Christians around the world a voice within the parliamentary group.[13]
Since 2010, Brinkhaus has been married to fellow economist and formerAmerican Express manager Elke Tombach. He supports the1. FC Köln football club.[14][3]
| Preceded by | Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group 2018–2022 | Succeeded by |
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