Martin Bangemann (15 November 1934 – 28 June 2022) was a German politician and a leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 1985 to 1988. He was German Federal Minister of Economics and European Commissioner.
Martin Bangemann | |
---|---|
Federal Minister of Economics West Germany | |
In office 27 June 1984 – 9 December 1988 | |
Preceded by | Otto Graf Lambsdorff |
Succeeded by | Helmut Haussmann |
Chairman of the FDP | |
In office 1985–1988 | |
Preceded by | Hans-Dietrich Genscher |
Succeeded by | Otto Graf Lambsdorff |
Personal details | |
Born | Wanzleben, Saxony, Prussia, Germany | 15 November 1934
Died | 28 June 2022 Deux-Sèvres, France | (aged 87)
Political party | FDP |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Bangemann was born on 15 November 1934 in Wanzleben.[1] He studied law in Tübingen and Munich, and earned a Dr. jur. (not equivalent to J.D., but a PhD in law) in 1962 with a dissertation entitled Bilder und Fiktionen in Recht und Rechtswissenschaft (Imagery and fiction in law and jurisprudence).[2] He qualified as an attorney in 1964. In 1963, he joined the FDP.[3] He worked as a lawyer in Baden-Württemberg.[4]
In 1972, he was elected to the Bundestag and became briefly Secretary General of the FDP.[5]
Bangemann was a member of the European Parliament from 1973 to 1984; from 1976 to 1979 he was vice-chairman, from 1979 to 1984 chairman of the Liberal and Democratic Group. From 1978 to 1979 he was vice-chair of the Committee on Budgets.[6]
Bangemann was the German Federal Minister of Economics from 1984 to 1988.[7] Problems in his tenure were high unemployment and the steel, coal and shipyard crises.[5]
In 1988, Bangemann joined the European Commission. He was Commissioner for the internal market and industrial affairs in the Delors Commission from 1989 to 1995.[8] He was then Commissioner for Industrial affairs, Information & Telecommunications Technologies in the Santer Commission from 1995 to 1999.[citation needed]
As commissioner he led a "high-level group" that drew up the report "Europe and the Global Information Society" in 1994.[9][10] This document contained recommendations to the European Council on the measures that Europe should take regarding information infrastructure. It became known as the "Bangemann report" and influenced many EU policies.[11]
He then moved from European politics to the board of the Spanish group Telefónica.[12][13] In addition, Bangemann ran a consulting agency.[5]
He was married and had five children.[14]
Bangemann died from a heart attack at his home in Deux-Sèvres on 28 June 2022 at the age of 87.[1]