born: 1951
married, two children
land list: Brandenburg

Office in Berlin
T: +49 30 / 227 - 71565
F: +49 30 / 227 - 76165
cornelia.behm@bundestag.de

Spokesperson on rural areas
Spokesperson on forestry policy

I came into politics through the East German civil rights movement: via the Democracy Now and Alliance 90 coalitions to Alliance 90/The Greens. The reasons for my political activity during the late 1980s still form the basis of my approach to many issues. Although as a member of the Agricultural Committee and deputy member of the Environmental Committee I am largely concerned with agricultural and environmental policy, I continue to be interested in questions of civil rights.

As an East German I am particularly committed to preventing the east of the country from drifting into the social and economic periphery, and here the rural areas are my central political concern. I specialise in agricultural, forestry and fisheries policy, bio-energies, agricultural research, horticulture and all issues related to East German farming.

As the only member of the federal parliament from Brandenburg I spend my time out of session on a variety of issues brought to my attention by local citizens. I regard the entire state of Brandenburg as my constituency, not just the region of Cottbus, where I stood as a direct candidate during the last parliamentary elections.

Committees

• Committee on Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (sp. + m.)

• Petitions Committee (alt. m.)

Political CV

• active in church groups (before 1989)

• Democracy Now – environmental group (1989)

• Alliance 90, local councillor in Kleinmachnow (since 1990)

• Member of Alliance 90/The Greens since 1993

• Local council group chairperson in Kleinmachnow (until 2002)

• Mayoral candidate for Alliance 90/The Greens in Kleinmachnow  (2001)

• Member of the Bundestag (since 2002)

• Forestry policy spokesperson (since 2005)

• Agricultural policy spokesperson (2006-2009)