Axel Fischer

From 1989 until 1995, Fischer studied mechanical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe.

In parliament, Fischer first served on the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment from 1998 until 2009. From the 2009 elections, he was a member of the Budget Committee and the Audit Committee. In this capacity, he served as rapporteur on the annual budget of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA). He was also a member of the German Parliament's Berlin-Taipei Parliamentary Circle of Friends.

In addition to his committee assignments, Fischer was member of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 2010 until 2018. In 2009 he succeeded Edward O'Hara as chairman of the Committee on Technology and Aerospace. He also served as rapporteur on Armenia from 2011 until 2014 (alongside John Prescott and later Alan Meale)[https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia_opposition_upset_with_pace_official/24454156.html Armenian Opposition Upset With PACE Official] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,

January 17, 2012.[http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-EN.asp?newsid=5073&lang=2&cat=3 Co-rapporteurs make monitoring visit to Armenia] Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), press release of June 13, 2014. and on Ukraine in 2017.[http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-EN.asp?newsid=6790&lang=2&cat= Rapporteur strongly condemns prison sentence for Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis] Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), press release of September 28, 2017. From 2014 until 2018, he was one of the Assembly's vice-presidents.Sabrina Pabst (April 7, 2014), [https://www.dw.com/en/council-of-europe-must-keep-talking-to-russia/a-17548675 'Council of Europe must keep talking to Russia'] Deutsche Welle.

Following the 2017 German federal election, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group decided against including Fischer in its list of nominees for Germany's new 18 person-strong delegation to PACE; the decision has been linked in media reports to his alleged role in limiting PACE's efforts to hold the Azerbaijan government under Ilham Aliyev accountable for human rights abuses as well as possible corruption.Claudia von Salzen (June 30, 2017), [https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/krach-bei-deutschen-im-europarat-ruecktritt-von-delegationsleiter-axel-fischer-gefordert/20004202.html Krach bei Deutschen im Europarat: Rücktritt von Delegationsleiter Axel Fischer gefordert] Der Tagesspiegel.Christina Neuhaus (October 13, 2017), [https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/das-faehnlein-der-zwoelf-aufrechten-ld.1321694 Das Fähnlein der zwölf Aufrechten] Neue Zürcher Zeitung.Max Holscher (November 2, 2017), [https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/cdu-csu-die-union-und-ihre-dubiosen-aserbaidschan-verbindungen-a-1174884.html Verbindungen nach Aserbaidschan: Die Baku-Connection der CDU] Der Spiegel.Hugh Williamson (January 22, 2018), [https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/22/germany-sends-positive-signal-defending-rights-europe Germany Sends Positive Signal on Defending Rights in Europe] Human Rights Watch.

In early 2020, Fischer co-founded an informal cross-party group of MPs from the CDU, CSU and FDP parties who opposed a potential coalition government between CDU/CSU and the Green Party.[https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/liberal-konservativer-kreis-bundestagsabgeordnete-bilden.1939.de.html „Liberal-konservativer Kreis“: Bundestagsabgeordnete bilden neues Forum] Deutschlandfunk, January 4, 2020.

By March 2021, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's leadership announced that Fischer would be replaced as chair of the Audit Committee.[https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/karlsruhe/axel-fischer-muss-ausschuss-vorsitz-abgeben-100.html Nach Verdacht auf Bestechlichkeit: Karlsruher Axel E. Fischer soll Bundestagsposten abgeben] Südwestrundfunk, March 17, 2021. He was succeeded by Carsten Körber.Daniel Streib (March 24, 2021), [https://bnn.de/nachrichten/politik/wechsel-im-bundestag-carsten-koerber-folgt-auf-axel-e-fischer-bei-ausschussvorsitz Wechsel im Bundestag: Carsten Körber folgt auf Axel E. Fischer an Ausschuss-Spitze] Badische Neueste Nachrichten.

In October 2021, Fischer no longer ran as a candidate for Bundestag for the 2021 German federal election.[https://bnn.de/nachrichten/politik/axel-e-fischer-zieht-nach-23-jahren-bundestag-bilanz-ich-gehe-mit-einem-lachenden-und-einem-weinenden-augeBundestagsabgeordneter Axel E. Fischer: „Es gab gigantische Machtverschiebung vom Parlament zur Regierung“]

• European Security and Defense Association (ESDA), Vice President
• World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD), President of the German capture

In response to the Greek government-debt crisis, Fischer and Rüdiger Kruse proposed in 2015 that German holidaymakers whose holiday spending helps boost the Greek economy should be reimbursed 500 euros by the German state on their return, on condition that the hotel and restaurants they visited have paid their taxes.Angelique Chrisafis (June 21, 2015), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/21/german-tourists-greece-thessaloniki German tourists in Greece: 'everybody has been so kind – overfriendly, even'] The Guardian.

In June 2017, Fischer voted against Germany's introduction of same-sex marriage.[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article166099805/Diese-Unionsabgeordneten-stimmten-fuer-die-Ehe-fuer-alle.html Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle] Die Welt, June 30, 2017.

In 2017, the Union parliamentary group withdrew Fischer's appointment to the new Bundestag delegation at the Council of Europe because of his implication in the "Caviar Diplomacy" corruption scandal in PACE.{{Cite web|title=Europa und die Welt|url=https://www.das-parlament.de/2018/4_5/europa_und_die_welt|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Das Parlament|language=de}} 

In March 2021, Fischer became the subject of an investigation over allegations that he took payments for political activity in the interests of the Azerbaijani government.Laurenz Gehrke (March 11, 2021), [https://www.politico.eu/article/another-german-conservative-cdu-mp-quits-scandals-mount/ Another German conservative MP quits as scandals mount] Politico Europe. On March 4, 2021, following a request from the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office, the German Bundestag lifted Fischer's parliamentary immunity.{{Cite web|last=Müller|first=Volker|title=Deutscher Bundestag - Bundestag hebt Immunität von Axel E. Fischer auf|url=https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2021/kw09-de-immunitaet-826314|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Deutscher Bundestag|language=de}} Subsequently, the BKA conducted a search at his parliamentary office in relation to the public prosecutor's investigation, on the initial suspicion of corruption, into payments from the "Azerbaijani Laundromat" money-laundering scheme to active and former members of the Bundestag for lobbying activities to promote Azerbaijani interests at the Council of Europe.

In January 2024 German prosecutors brought bribery and corruption charges against Axel Fischer and Eduard Lintner (another CDU member implicated in the Azerbaijani laundromat).{{Cite web |title=Germany Indicts Two Ex-MPs for Bribery |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/18414-germany-indicts-two-ex-mps-for-bribery |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=www.occrp.org |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |title=Axel Fischer soll Geld aus Aserbaidschan erhalten haben: Früherer CDU-Abgeordneter wegen Korruption angeklagt |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/axel-fischer-erhielt-geld-aus-aserbaidschan-fruherer-cdu-abgeordneter-wegen-korruption-angeklagt-11125489.html |access-date=2024-02-05 |work=Der Tagesspiegel Online |language=de-DE |issn=1865-2263}}

Fischer is married for the second time and has six children. His father is the former President of the University of Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe Werner Fischer and one of his brothers is the swiss politician and pastor Lutz Fischer-Lamprecht

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.axel-e-fischer.de Official Website (in German)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100724003300/http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/AssemblyList/AL_MemberDetails.asp?MemberID=5654 Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly member list]

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Category:1966 births

Category:Living people

Category:Politicians from Karlsruhe

Category:German Protestants

Category:Members of the Bundestag for Baden-Württemberg

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