Felix Banaszak Explained

Felix Banaszak
Office:Member of the Bundestag
Term Start:26 October 2021
Office1:Leader of the Green Youth
Alongside1:Theresa Kalmer
Term Start1:2013
Term End1:2014
Predecessor1:Jens Parker
Successor1:Georg Kurz
Party:Alliance 90/The Greens
Birth Date:1989 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Duisburg, Germany
Alma Mater:Free University of Berlin

Felix Banaszak (born 24 October 1989) is a German politician of the Alliance 90/The Greens[1] who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since the 2021 German federal election.[2] [3]

Early career

During his studies, Banaszak worked as legislative assistant to Dirk Behrendt at the State Parliament of Berlin. From 2014 to 2017, he managed the Düsseldorf offices of Members of the European Parliament Terry Reintke and Sven Giegold.[4]

Political career

From 2013 to 2014, Banaszak co-chaired the Green Youth on the national level, alongside Theresa Kalmer.[5]

Since 2018, Banaszak has been serving as co-chair of the Green Party in North Rhine-Westphalia, alongside Mona Neubaur.[6]

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Banaszak led his party's delegation in the working group on education policy; his co-chairs from the other parties were Andreas Stoch and Jens Brandenburg.[7]

Banaszak has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2021, representing the Duisburg II district. In parliament, he has since been serving on the Budget Committee, the Audit Committee and the Committee on Economic Affairs.[8] On the Budget Committee, he is his parliamentary group's rapporteur on the annual budgets of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In addition to his committee assignments, Banaszak has been a member of the German delegation to the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly since 2022.[9]

In the negotiations to form a coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Green Party under Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst following the 2022 state elections, Banaszak and Sven Giegold led their party's delegation in the working group on finances;[10] their counterparts from the CDU were Lutz Lienenkämper and Günter Krings.[11]

Other activities

Political positions

Within the Green Party, Banaszak is considered to be part of its left wing.[16]

In his capacity as co-chair of the Green Youth, Banaszak opposed a 2014 motion to make the group's membership incompatible with a membership for Rote Hilfe e.V., a German far-left prisoner support group.[17]

Controversy

Along with Volker Beck, Terry Reintke and Max Lucks, Banaszak was temporarily detained when Beck wanted to speak publicly at Istanbul Pride in June 2016.[18] [19]

Personal life

Since 2014, Banaszak has been living in Duisburg.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Felix Banaszak. 23 January 2022. Alliance 90/The Greens Bundestag. de.
  2. Web site: Felix Banaszak. 22 January 2022. Deutscher Bundestag. de.
  3. News: 26 September 2021. So lief die Wahl in Duisburg und am Niederrhein. de. WDR. 22 January 2022.
  4. Bernd Eyermann and Helge Matthiesen (1 February 2020), Interview mit Felix Banaszak: Co-Vorsitzende der NRW-Grünen: „1000 Schulen besonders fördern“ General-Anzeiger.
  5. https://www.bild.de/regional/ruhrgebiet/gruene-jugend-waehlt-neuen-bundesvorstand-33240838.bild.html Grüne Jugend wählt neuen Bundesvorstand
  6. https://rp-online.de/nrw/landespolitik/nrw-landesparteitag-2018-die-gruenen-bestaetigen-doppelspitze-mona-neubaur-und-felix-banaszak_aid-23451093 Landesparteitag: NRW-Grüne bestätigen Doppelspitze Neubaur und Banaszak
  7. Andreas Apetz and Thomas Kaspar (October 22, 2021), Ampel-Koalition: Alle Verantwortlichen, AGs und Themen im Überblick Frankfurter Rundschau.
  8. https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/B/banaszak_felix-860904 Felix Banaszak
  9. https://www.bundestag.de/dfpv Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly
  10. Maximilian Plück (31 May 2022), Koalitionsverhandlungen für Schwarz-Grün: Diese Politiker verhandeln für die Grünen Rheinische Post.
  11. Maximilian Plück (30 May 2022), Koalitionsverhandlungen für Schwarz-Grün: Diese Politiker verhandeln für die CDU Rheinische Post.
  12. https://www.giz.de/en/aboutgiz/supervisory_board.html Supervisory Board
  13. https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/B/banaszak_felix-860904 Felix Banaszak
  14. https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/B/banaszak_felix-860904 Felix Banaszak
  15. https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/B/banaszak_felix-860904 Felix Banaszak
  16. Thomas Reisener (17 October 2017), Banaszak gegen Rettich: Machtkampf an der Grünen-Spitze in NRW Rheinische Post.
  17. Astrid Geisler (24 April 2014), Streit bei der Grünen Jugend: Wie links dürfen wir sein? Die Tageszeitung.
  18. Carolin Skiba (28 June 2016), Duisburg: Grünen-Politiker in Türkei festgenommen Rheinische Post.
  19. https://apnews.com/article/4f3bb27e800a414db966fda8526d88fa German lawmaker temporarily detained at Istanbul gay parade
  20. Christian Schmitt (15 September 2021), Felix Banaszak will Duisburgs Blick in die Zukunft richten Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.