Speech martin schulz biography

Apprentice bookseller (1975-1977).
Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955) is a German politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany from 1994 to 2017 and a Member of.
Comrades, friends, guests!

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Martin Schultz is a German politician and former President of the European Parliament. He was leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany, led one of the oldest political groups in the European Parliament, and remains an active pro-EU voice.

Following a turbulent adolescence and failing to graduate from school, Martin became a bookseller, working for various publishers and shops (including his own) for over a decade. During this time he joined the SPD, becoming a local councillor. After committing himself full-time to a life in politics, he became one of the youngest mayors ever in one of Germany’s most economically important states.

Martin was later elected to the European Parliament, where he joined multiple human rights and social justice committees, and served as vice-chair of the EU Socialist Group. Shortly after joining the Parliament, he became a part of the SPD’s leadership group. He also served as leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EU, where he fought for employment, equality, civil liberties, financial market

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European Council Meeting - Speech by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament - Main contents

Source: President of the European Parliament (EP President) i, published on Thursday, October 15 2015.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Europe is facing an epochal challenge with migration flows unseen since the Second World War as more and more people are fleeing from the brutal war in Syria. These days, the job at hand has become much tougher as we are encountering practical difficulties on the ground with the reception and accommodation of such high numbers of refugees. In some places the mood is even changing. For the time being luckily the "Willkommenskultur" is prevailing over growing fear and skepticism. But we cannot close our eyes to these difficulties. Most importantly, we need to take stock today of what we have already achieved in recent months and weeks and what we still must address as a matter of obvious urgency. The achievements must encourage us that by acting together, as Europeans, we are up to the challenge.

Together, we have created a joint search and rescue missi

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Martin Schulz in profile

Martin Schulz, the former head of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is no stranger to the vagaries of political fortune.

The man who once failed to graduate from high school, only to rise to the European parliament presidency, led his party to historic lows in the German opinion polls. Bowing to party criticism after reaching a coalition deal with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, Schulz abandoned plans to become the next foreign minister, before ultimately resigning as party chief earlier than he had initially intended to.

Schulz has deep roots in the small city of Würselen just north of Aachen in the far west of Germany. He served the city of 38,000 as mayor for 11 years from 1987 until 1998, and still has a home there today. After gaining a qualification in bookselling in his youth, he also ran a bookshop with his sister, and once described reading as an "elixir of life" that helped him through a dark period in his youth.

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