Background
Gebhardt, Evelyne was born on January 19, 1954 in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France.
Gebhardt, Evelyne was born on January 19, 1954 in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France.
She studied at the University Paris Diderot, the University of Tübingen and the University of Stuttgart, studying linguistics, political science and political economy.
Her main interests are bio-ethics, consumer protection and citizens" rights. After graduating from Lycée Lamartine in 1972, Gebhardt became the first in her family to go to university. She subsequently worked as a freelance translator, and moved to Germany in 1975.
Since 1992 she has been Chair of the Working Group of Social-Democratic Women.
After working in local politics with the Social Democratic Party of Germany, she took out German nationality in 1993, which allowed her to stand for elected office. She is also a substitute member for the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula.
Gebhardt is best known for her role in shaping the controversial Services Directive in 2005 and 2006. The directive had aimed at opening up the European Single Market to competition amongst service providers but was, after much political pressure from mostly western and southern European Union countries, subsequently watered down by the European Parliament.
Evelyne Gebhardt was parliamentary rapporteur for the directive and played an important role in facilitating an agreement with the European People"s Party which allowed Parliament to pass the directive with a huge majority and thereby forcing European Union governments to follow their line.
German Academy for Ethics in Medicine (AEM), Member
Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie, Member
Marie-Schlei-Verein, Member.
Since 1994 she has been a Member of the European Parliament representing the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Evelyne Gebhardt is a member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and of the Delegation for Relations with the People"s Republic of China. In addition, she is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Western Sahara. Europa-Union Deutschland, Member of the Presidium
Association of Free Art Schools in Baden-Württemberg, Member of the Board of Trustees
Europa Zentrum Baden-Württemberg, Member of the Advisory Board.