Michael Gahler

As foreign policy spokesperson for the EPP Group, Gahler advocates a clear stance towards China. In 2021, China imposed sanctions on him after the EU imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights violations; these were lifted in April 2025. Gahler calls for China to take greater responsibility for global challenges, in particular peace, international security and sustainable development. He supports import bans on products manufactured under forced labor in Chinese camps. He began his career in the diplomatic service and joined the Federal Foreign Office in 1990. He studied law in Mainz and Dijon and worked in international environmental policy and bilateral cooperation with the Baltic states. Politically, he was a CDU member of the European Parliament from 1993 to 1995.