Josef Weidenholzer (born 6 March 1950) is an Austrian politician who served as

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP) from 2011 until 2019. He is a member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

, part of the

Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a Social democracy, social democratic European political party. The PES comprises national-level political parties from all the European Economic Area, European economic area states (EEA) plus the Unit ...

. Weidenholzer is a professor of

Social Policy Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the same public interest (similar to MD a ...

and served as Director of the Institute for Social Policy at the

Johannes Kepler University Linz The Johannes Kepler University Linz (German: ''Johannes Kepler Universität Linz'', short: ''JKU'') is a public university in Austria. It is located in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. It offers bachelor's, master's, diploma and doctoral degre ...

. from 1998. Since 1991 he is the President of Volkshilfe Österreich and of the European NGO platform 'Solidar'.

Life and career

After attending Catholic school in the

Kremsmünster Abbey Kremsmünster Abbey () is a Benedictine monastery located in Kremsmünster, Upper Austria. History Founded in 777 AD by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria, Kremsmünster Abbey is steeped in legend. It is said that Tassilo established the abbey on t ...

, Weidenholzer studied sociology in the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at the

Johannes Kepler University of Linz The Johannes Kepler University Linz (German: ''Johannes Kepler Universität Linz'', short: ''JKU'') is a public university in Austria. It is located in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. It offers bachelor's, master's, diploma and doctoral degre ...

from 1968 until 1973. As a student he became actively engaged in the Association for Socialist Students

VSStÖ The Socialist Students of Austria (, VSStÖ) is a socialist and social democratic student organization at Austrian university, universities. History The preliminary organization of the VSStÖ was formed in 1893 in Vienna. In the beginning, it w ...

. In 1973 he completed his

Magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

, followed by his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1977 and his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

in 1982. Weidenholzer commenced his professional career in 1973 when he worked as a research assistant for the Institute for Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Linz, and as a university assistant at the Institute for Social and Development Studies in 1975. In addition, he has worked for Karl Stadler at the

Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft The Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) is an Austrian network of specialized research institutes that are not part of a university. It was founded in 1961 and named after physicist Ludwig Boltzmann Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann ( ; ; 20 Februa ...

for the History of the Workers Movement, at the University of Linz. Weidenholzer lectured in academic institutions around the world: in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

and Klagenfurt in Austria. With his reputation thus enhanced, Weidenholzer was appointed Extraordinary University Professor for Societal and Social Policy. In 1984, Weidenholzer was awarded the Advancement Award by the

Victor Adler __NOTOC__ Victor Adler (24 June 1852 – 11 November 1918) was an Austrian politician, a leader of the labour movement and founder of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP). Life Adler was born on 24 June 1852, in Prague, the son of a Jewi ...

National Award for the history of

social movement A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or Political movement, political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to re ...

s. From 1984 until 1998, he was director of the Research Institute for

social planning Social engineering is a term which has been used to refer to efforts in influencing particular attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale. This is often undertaken by governments, but may be also carried out by mass media, academia or privat ...

and, from 1998 until 2003,

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economy in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

Work

Josef Weidenholzer's professional focus is on

, theories of the

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...

, international comparison between welfare- state systems,

political theory Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...

and international comparative studies on political cultures. He also focuses on the theory and history of social movements, in particular the workers movements and the development of theory and practice. He established the association Museum Arbeitswelt in

Steyr Steyr (; ) is a statutory city (Austria), statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd lar ...

, where he was chairman from 1986 until 1993 and conducted the National Exposition ¨Work-Man-Machine¨ (1987), which has been crucial for the permanent installation of the museum. Josef Weidenholzer is considered to be a convinced European and committed professor. As the president of the Volkshilfe, he fights for

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

and takes a strong public stand on the issue of marginalization. He also politically commits himself to improving the situation of the socially disadvantaged- an issue which is of special concern to him.

Memberships

Weidenholzer stood as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) during the European elections in 2009. With the

Lisbon Treaty The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two Treaty, treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all Member stat ...

, which resulted in a regulated increase in the number of Members, he became a

on 1 December 2011. In 2008, Weidenholzer was a founding member of the Momentum congress and is since, its academic director. He is member of the advisory board of the 2012 founded

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

- scientific journal Momentum Quarterly.

Member of the European Parliament, 2011–2019

Weidenholzer was a

from 2011 until 2019. During his time in office, he formed part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D). The emphasis of his work lies in the

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

(LIBE), in particular concentrating on

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

data protection Data protection may refer to: * Information privacy, also known as data privacy * Data security {{Authority control ...

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

and judicial cooperation and the securing of

fundamental rights Fundamental rights are a group of rights that have been recognized by a high degree of protection from encroachment. These rights are specifically identified in a constitution, or have been found under due process of law. The United Nations' Susta ...

. Within LIBE, he was part of the Rule of Law Monitoring Group (ROLMG) from 2018 until 2019. He was also a deputy member of the

Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) is a committee of the European Parliament. Work of the committee The committee is responsible for: * Coordination at Community level of national legislation in the sphere of th ...

(IMCO) and a member of the Delegation for relations with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In March 2012, he joined the temporary Special Committee against Organised crime, corruption and money laundering (CRIM).Special committee: Organised crime, corruption and money laundering

References

External links

* *
Weblog von Josef "Joe" Weidenholzer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weidenholzer, Josef 1950 births Living people People from Schärding District Johannes Kepler University Linz alumni Social Democratic Party of Austria MEPs MEPs for Austria 2009–2014 MEPs for Austria 2014–2019