Speakers

Dr Christian Ehler is a Member of the European Parliament (EP) since 2004. From 2006 to 2012 he has been deputy chairman of the German CDU/CSU Group – Christian Democrats - in the European Parliament. Christian Ehler is an Alumni of the American University (Washington, D.C.), a Member of the Atlantik Bruecke e.V. and a Member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Auswaertige Politik (DGAP).

The parliamentarian was born on 17/08/1963 in Munich. He served with the NATO’s AMF (Allied Mobile Forces). He holds a degree in journalism and economics from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich (1991) as well as a PhD of political science on the topic of U.S. trade policy (1993). From 1989 to 1990 he studied national economy at the American University Washington D.C., and worked as scientific assistant to Senator John Heinz (Rep.) and to the finance committee of the U.S. Congress.

Until 2010 Mr Ehler has been Managing Director of Biotech GmbH - biotechnology centre Hennigsdorf and prior to this Managing director of the Projektgesellschaft Bahnerprobungs- und Technologiezentrum (special testing and technology company) Berlin/Brandenburg GmbH (1998-2000).

In the European Parliament Christian Ehler is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, First Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence and a substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also serves as the Chairman of the US Delegation of the European Parliament.

Throughout the past 2 parliamentary terms Christian Ehler has been the European Parliament's rapporteur on the security research programme within the framework of the FP7, i.e. the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development, which is the European Union's chief instrument for funding research over the period 2007 to 2013. The budget for the security topic consists of € 1.4 billion. It brings together all research-related EU initiatives under a common roof. Mr. Ehler has also been rapporteur on civilian-military cooperation and the development of civilian-military capabilities of the European Union. He has been appointed rapporteur for the so-called ‘ENISA package’ which implies the future of the European agency on cyber security.

Furthermore he is the Shadow Rapporteur on the Horizon 2020 basic act (the successor of the FP7) and the Rapporteur for the H2020 Rules of Participation.