Biography

Dr. Lutz Knopek was born in January 1958 in Goettingen, Germany. After receiving his High-School-Diploma in 1977 and serving an obligatory year in the German Armed Forces, he studied Biology at the University of Goettingen. Lutz Knopek graduated with a Masters-Degree in 1984 and went on to work in the pharmaceuticals industry. In 1986 he returned to academia  to pursue a PhD in Biology, which he completed successfully in 1989 with a toxicological study.

Upon graduation he started working for International Bio Research, a north-german contract research-firm. Today as Rapporteur for Chemicals Policy he can build upon the knowledge and experience he gained in his early professional life.

After a few years in research and development Lutz Knopek went back to the pharmaceuticals industry as a Sales & Marketing representative for various biotechnology start-ups. For a couple of years he was based in Vienna and later in Milan, where he was responsible for the development of Eastern-European markets. In 2002 he returned to Goettingen, where he still lives today with his wife and young daughter.

Lutz Knopek has been a Member of Parliament since September 2009, when he was first elected in his hometown‘s electoral district. He is a member of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP), Germany‘s classical liberal party. In his increasigly rare spare time Lutz Knopek enjoys attending rock-concerts in small clubs and reading a good book.

Key Issues & Policy Areas

Dr. Lutz Knopek is a regular member of the Bundestag‘s standing committee on the Environment and the standing committee on Sports, where he is the ranking member of his Party. In addition he serves as a deputy member of the standing committee on Public Health.

Lutz Knopek has been a lifelong champion of small government and free enterprise. This does not mean that he doesn‘t value high environmental protection standards. However, it means that these standards should be achieved with the lowest possible level of bureaucratic red tape and government interference with free markets.

Lutz Knopek strongly believes that environmental interests are best served by setting the right incentives for people to take fully into account the external effects of their actions and to internatilze the costs of environmental pollution. Therefore, he prefers market-based mechanisms such as emission trading schemes and pigouvian taxes to rigid regulations that simply outlaw certain activities. In Chemicals Policy he insists on making the important distinction between risk and hazard when deciding on the proper rules and regulations.

Dr. Lutz Knopek is the liberal Party‘s Rapporteur for the following Policy Areas:

• Chemicals Policy (REACH, Biocides, Pesticides, etc.)
• Clean Air
• Industrial Emissions
• Nanotechnology
• Anti-Doping-Strategies

In addition he takes an active interest in cancer research and drug-development policy.