Reinhold Lopatka

Reinhold Lopatka MEP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the European Parliament for Austria
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 July 2024
Personal details
Born	27 January 1960 Vorau, Styria
Political party	ÖVP

Reinhold Lopatka (born 27 January 1960) is an Austrian politician of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)^[1] who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament since the 2024 European Parliament election in Austria. He led the ÖVP list in the elections.^[2]

Political career

Member of the Austrian Parliament, 2003–2024

In addition to his role in parliament, Lopatka served as a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2020 to 2024. In the Assembly, he was a member of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, the Sub-Committee on External Relations and the Sub-Committee on the Middle East and the Arab World.^[3]

Lopatka also led the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission for the 2023 Serbian parliamentary election.^[4]

Member of the European Parliament, 2024–present

In the European Parliament, Lopatka has been serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. In addition to his committee assignments, he is part of the parliament’s delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.^[5]

Within the European People’s Party group, Lopatka has been heading the Austrian delegation.^[6]

Lopatka was part of the European Parliament’s observer mission in the 2024 Georgian parliamentary election.^[7]

Controversy

In 2013, Lopatka and Wilhelm Molterer were suspects in a corruption investigation into allegations the ÖVP may have used Telekom Austria funds for illegal party financing in the 2008 elections.^[8]

References

1. "EU-Wahl im Bezirk: Reinhold Lopatka konnte in Heimatgemeinde punkten". kleinezeitung.at. 10 June 2024. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
2. "Lopatka and Waitz are the preferred vote emperors". Kronen Zeitung. 12 June 2024. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
3. Reinhold Lopatka Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
4. Ivana Sekularac and Aleksandar Vasovic (18 December 2023), elections marred by president's involvement, vote buying - observers Reuters.
5. Reinhold Lopatka European Parliament.
6. Giovanna Faggionato (19 August 2024), These people want to run the EU’s economy Politico Europe.
7. Lili Bayer (29 October 2024), Georgia and Moldova votes show challenges of EU enlargement push Reuters.
8. Michael Shields (21 November 2013), Austrian conservatives face money laundering inquiry Reuters.

External links

Media related to Reinhold Lopatka at Wikimedia Commons