Klaus Welle

Academic Council Chairman

Klaus Welle chairs the Martens Centre’s Academic Council since April 2023. In May 2025, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Commissioner for Defence and Space. He is also a Guest Professor in practice at the London School of Economics, a Visiting Professor at KU Leuven, a Leader in Residence at the Moynihan Center of the Colin Powell School for global leadership in New York and a member of the Executive Board of the European Forum Alpbach Foundation. After obtaining a Degree in economics from the University of Witten/Herdecke in Germany, Klaus Welle worked at the CDU Central Office in Bonn, before coming to Brussels where he served as Secretary-General of the European People’s Party (EPP) from 1994 to 1999, Secretary-General of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament from 1999 to 2003, Director-General for Internal Policies at the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007, Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009, and Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2022.