View source for Matthias Groote

{{short description| German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (born 1973)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name           = Matthias Groote
|image          = Matthias Groote (Martin Rulsch) 1.jpg
|office      = [[Member of the European Parliament]] for [[Germany]]
|term_start  = 2005
|term_end    = 2016
|predecessor = [[Garrelt Duin]]
|successor   = [[Tiemo Wölken]]
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1973|10|21|df=y}}
|birth_place    = [[Leer, Lower Saxony|Leer]], [[West Germany]]
|death_date     = 
|death_place    = 
|party          = '''''{{flag|Germany|name=German}}:'''''<br>[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]<br>'''''{{flag|EU}}:'''''<br>[[Party of European Socialists]]
|spouse         = 
|children       = 
|signature      = 
|website        = 
}}
'''Matthias Groote''' (born 21 October 1973) is a German politician of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]]. From 2005 until 2016, he served as [[Member of the European Parliament]] and was a part of the Socialist Group in the [[European Parliament]].

==Early life and education==
Groote was born in [[Leer, Lower Saxony|Leer]] and went to secondary school in Westrhauderfehn, taking the leaving exam in 1990. He was trained as an industrial engineer at [[Deutsche Bahn]] between 1991 and 1995, where he worked on plant design. In 1995 and 1996 he completed an alternate public service with the [[German Red Cross]]. 
Groote trained to become a technical engineer in 1999, became a qualified industrial engineer in 2005, and also became a sales engineer in 2005.

==Political career==
===Role in local politics===
Groote has been a member of the [[Ostrhauderfehn]] local council since 1996, a member of the Leer district council since 2001, and the chair of the Ostrhauderfehn SPD council group since 2001. He first became a member of the Social Democratic Party in 1996 and has been a member of the Leer SPD District Executive since 1997. He was chair of the [[Leer (district)|Leer District]] Young Socialists from 1997 to 2002, vice-chair of the [[Weser-Ems]] District Young Socialists from 1999 to 2002, and has been a member of the Executive of the Weser-Ems Social-Democratic Association for Local Politics since 2003.

===Member of the European Parliament, 2005–2016===
Groote served as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] from 2005, when he took over the seat vacated by [[Garrelt Duin]]. He has since been a member of the [[European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety|Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety]]. In this capacity, he participated in the [[2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in held in [[Bali]];<ref>Simon Taylor (21 November 2007), [http://www.politico.eu/article/bali-bound-meps-2/ Bali-bound MEPs] ''[[European Voice]]''.</ref> the [[2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in [[Poznań]];<ref>Jennifer Rankin (26 November 2008), [http://www.politico.eu/article/meps-flock-to-poznan-meeting/ MEPs flock to Poznań meeting] ''[[European Voice]]''.</ref> the [[2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in [[Warsaw]];<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20131115IPR24738/climate-change-ep-delegation-to-attend-warsaw-summit Climate change: EP delegation to attend Warsaw summit] [[European Parliament]], press release of 15 November 2013.</ref> and the [[2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in [[Paris]].<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20151203IPR06170/cop21-climate-change-talks-meps-in-paris-to-push-for-2degc-target COP21 climate change talks: MEPs in Paris to push for 2°C target] [[European Parliament]], press release of 4 December 2015.</ref> He also was his political group's shadow [[rapporteur]] for a 2008 report on including aviation within the [[European Union Emission Trading Scheme]].  In 2012, he replaced fellow Social Democrat [[Jo Leinen]] as chair of the committee,<ref>Constant Brand (18 January 2012), [http://www.politico.eu/article/elmar-brok-returns-to-lead-foreign-affairs-committee/ Elmar Brok returns to lead foreign affairs committee] ''[[European Voice]]''.</ref> a position he held until 2014. From 2014, he was the coordinator of the [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Group of Socialists and Democrats]] in committee as well as the parliament's contact person for the [[European Medicines Agency]] (EMA).

In addition, Groote served as member of the Temporary Committee on Climate Change between 2007 and 2009 and of the [[European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs|Committee on Constitutional Affairs]] between 2009 and 2012. He has also been part of the parliament's delegations with [[Japan]] (2005–2009) and the [[United States]] (2009–2014).

Besides his committee assignments, Groote is a member of several cross-party groups, including the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources (EUFORES).

In January 2016, Groote announced his intention to run for the office of ''[[Districts of Germany|Landrat]]'' in the [[Leer (district)|District of Leer]] and to resign from the European Parliament in the case of winning the local elections.<ref>Susanne Risius-Hartwig (15 January 2016), [http://www.noz.de/lokales/westoverledingen/artikel/658954/leeraner-spd-setzt-auf-matthias-groote Leeraner SPD setzt auf Matthias Groote] ''[[Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung]]''.</ref> Following his election as ''Landrat'', he left the European Parliament and was succeeded by [[Tiemo Wölken]].

==Other activities==
* [[European Medicines Agency]] (EMA), Member of the Management Board<ref>[https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/who-we-are/management-board/members Members of the Management Board] [[European Medicines Agency]] (EMA).</ref>
* [[IG Metall]], Member
* [[German Wind Energy Association]] (BWE), Member
* ''[[Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie]]'', Member

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://archive.today/20100120104437/http://www.europarl.eu.int/members/expert/committees/view.do?language=EN&id=34728 European Parliament biography (English)]
*[http://www.matthias-groote.de/ The personal website of Matthias Groote (German)]
{{European Parliament MEPs, 2004-2009 (Germany) by party}}{{European Parliament MEPs, 2009-2014 (Germany) by party}}{{European Parliament MEPs, 2014-2019 (Germany) by party}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groote, Matthias}}
[[Category:MEPs for Germany 2004–2009]]
[[Category:Social Democratic Party of Germany MEPs]]
[[Category:MEPs for Germany 2009–2014]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:People from Leer]]
[[Category:MEPs for Germany 2014–2019]]