Manuel Sarrazin

Manuel Sarrazin
Manuel Sarrazin in 2017
Member of the Bundestag
In office 2017–2021
Personal details
Born	(1982-02-06) 6 February 1982 (age 42) Dortmund, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party	Greens
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Bremen University of Hamburg

Manuel Ferdinand Theodor Sarrazin (born 6 February 1982) is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens who served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Hamburg from 2008 to 2021.^[1] Since 2022, he has been serving as Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkan in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Early life and education

Sarrazin was born in Dortmund and has lived in the Hamburg district of Harburg since 1995. After graduating from the local Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium in 2001 and completing his civilian service, he began studying history, Polish and law at the University of Bremen in 2002. In 2005, he moved to the University of Hamburg,^[2] where he completed his studies in History, Eastern European Studies and Law in 2013.

Political career

Career in state politics

From 2004 to 2008 Sarrazin was a member of the State Parliament of Hamburg.

Member of the German Parliament, 2008–2021

Sarrazin succeeded Anja Hajduk in the Bundestag on 13 May 2008.^[3] He was a member of the Committee on European Affairs^[4] and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.^[5][6] From 2008 until 2013, he also served on the Budget Committee's Subcommittee on European Affairs. He was his parliamentary group’s spokesman for Eastern European policy.^[7]

In addition to his committee assignments, Sarrazin served as deputy chairman of the German-Polish Parliamentary Friendship Group from 2018 to 2021.

On 24 June 2015 Sarrazin took on a godparenthood for Mikola Dziadok, Belarusian activist and political prisoner.^[8][9] On 9 July 2020 he became the patron of Ihar Losik, Belarusian blogger and political prisoner.^[10][11]

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Sarrazin was part of his party's delegation in the working group on European affairs, co-chaired by Udo Bullmann, Franziska Brantner and Nicola Beer.^[12]

Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, 2022–present

In March 2022, Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock appointed Sarrazin as Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkan in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.^[13]

Other activities

• Petersburger Dialog [de], Member of the Board^[14]
• Southeast Europe Association (SOG), President^[15]
• Institute for European Politics (IEP), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2012)

References

1. "Manuel Sarrazin | Abgeordnetenwatch". www.abgeordnetenwatch.de (in German). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
2. Hollersen, Wiebke (17 September 2009). "Junge Abgeordnete: Ich studiere noch, aber pssst". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
3. Bundestagsfraktion, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. "Infos zur Person". Bundestagsfraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (in German). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
4. Troianovski, Anton (23 July 2015). "German Finance Chief Schäuble's Tough Tone Heightens Uncertainty Over Bailout". The Wall Street Journal. Berlin. ISSN 0099-9660.
5. "German Bundestag - Committee on European Union Affairs". German Bundestag. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
6. "German Bundestag - Foreign Affairs". German Bundestag. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
7. Bundestagsfraktion, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. "Die fachpolitischen SprecherInnen". Bundestagsfraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (in German). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
8. "Дэпутат Бундэстага Мануэль Сарацын узяў "шэфства" над Мікалаем Дзядком" (in Belarusian). Viasna Human Rights Centre. 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
9. "Bundestag member Manuel Sarrazin: I call for immediate release of Mikalai Dziadok". Charter 97. 25 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
10. "#WeStandBYyou". Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
11. "Hungerstreik beendet: Solidarität mit politischen Gefangenen in Belarus!" (in German). Heinrich Böll Foundation. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
12. Britt-Marie Lakämper (October 21, 2021), SPD, Grüne, FDP: Diese Politiker verhandeln die Ampel-Koalition Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.
13. Anila Shuka (2 March 2022), Ein Grünen-Politiker für den Westbalkan Deutsche Welle.
14. "Mitglieder von deutscher Seite › Petersburger Dialog". petersburger-dialog.de.
15. "Presidium, Southeast Europe Association (SOG)". www.sogde.org.

External links

• Media related to Manuel Sarrazin at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in German)
• Bundestag biography (in English)