# Brigitte Klinkert

# Brigitte Klinkert

**Brigitte Klinkert** (born 22 July 1956 in Colmar, Haut-Rhin) is a French politician affiliated with the Renaissance party. She has served as the deputy for Haut-Rhin's 1st constituency in the [National Assembly](/organizations/national-assembly) since June 2022, where she is a member of the Ensemble pour la République group, acts as a **Questeure** of the Assembly, and sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Klinkert previously held the position of Minister Delegate for Integration under the Minister of Labor, Employment, and Integration from July 2020 to June 2022. She was President of the Departmental Council of Haut-Rhin from September 2017 to July 2020, marking her as the first woman to hold that office. Her career in Haut-Rhin politics spans several decades, with a strong emphasis on Alsace's regional identity, cross-border cooperation with Germany, bilingualism, and social integration initiatives. She currently serves as Co-President of the bureau of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly.

Holding a DEUG in law and a diploma in public administration, Klinkert began her professional career in 1979 as an attaché in the coordination and economic action service of the Bas-Rhin prefecture. Her work has focused on advancing Alsace's specificities, including contributions to the creation of the European Collectivity of Alsace in 2021, economic development projects in renewable energy and infrastructure, and responses to regional challenges such as the COVID-19 crisis and industrial transitions.

## Early life

### Family background

Brigitte Klinkert was born on 22 July 1956 in Colmar, Alsace, France.

She is the granddaughter of Joseph Rey (1899–1990), a French Resistance member during World War II who played a key role in post-war Franco-German reconciliation. Rey served as mayor of Colmar from 1947 to 1977, as a deputy in the [French National Assembly](/organizations/french-national-assembly), and as a general councillor (conseiller général) of the Haut-Rhin department from 1946 to 1982.

Her father, Gérard Klinkert, worked as a journalist for *Le Rhin Français* and later for *L'Alsace*. Her mother, Monique (née Rey), was a homemaker. Klinkert grew up in Colmar with her parents and two brothers, Jean (born 1952) and Antoine (born 1960, a radiologist in Thann). She has described her youth as marked by admiration for her father's journalistic career and her grandfather's political commitment, which exposed her early to public service and Alsatian political traditions.

She is married to Rémy Angst.

### Education

Brigitte Klinkert completed her secondary education at the Collège Épiscopal Saint-André, a private Catholic school in Colmar. She went on to study law at the University of Strasbourg, obtaining a DEUG (Diplôme d'Études Universitaires Générales) in law in 1976.

She subsequently enrolled at the Institut Régional d'Administration (IRA) in Metz, where she received her diploma in public administration in 1978. This professional training prepared her for a career in territorial administration.

In 1992, she earned a diploma from the diocesan Catholic cycle of initiation to theology and basic pastoral formation.

## Political career

### Municipal roles in Colmar

Brigitte Klinkert began her long tenure in local politics as a municipal councilor (**conseillère municipale**) of Colmar in 1983, a position she held until her resignation in September 2017.

She served as deputy mayor (**adjointe au maire**) of Colmar for nearly two decades, with a consistent focus on cultural policy alongside other related portfolios. From 1989 to 1995, she was responsible for culture and information. From 1995 to 2001, her remit expanded to include culture and higher education (**enseignement supérieur**). Starting in 2001 and continuing until 2008, she oversaw culture while also serving as president of the town twinning committee (**comité de jumelage**), which handled Colmar's international partnerships and relations.

During her early municipal career, she was affiliated with centrist political formations, notably running under the UDF-CDS label in 1994 for a concurrent departmental election.

In 2008, Klinkert was re-elected to the Colmar municipal council on a dissident list opposed to the incumbent mayor Gilbert Meyer. Her resignation from the council in 2017 followed her election as president of the Haut-Rhin Departmental Council and complied with rules limiting the accumulation of mandates.

### Departmental council roles

Brigitte Klinkert began her tenure on the General Council of Haut-Rhin (renamed the Departmental Council in 2015) in 1994, when she was elected conseillère générale for the canton of Colmar-Nord. At age 37, she became the first woman to hold this position in the department's history and the youngest councilor at the time.

She remained the only female member of the council for nearly fifteen years following her initial election.

Klinkert was reelected in 2001, 2008, and 2015. After the 2015 cantonal redistricting reform, she represented the canton of Colmar-2 as a conseillère départementale.

From 1998 to 2001, she served as vice-president delegated to cultural affairs and heritage.

Following her 2001 reelection, she became the second vice-president, with responsibilities encompassing the poles of solidarity, culture and heritage, sports, education, and associative life.

Since 2008, she chaired the council's culture and heritage commission.

### Presidency of Haut-Rhin Departmental Council

**Brigitte Klinkert** was elected president of the Haut-Rhin Departmental Council on 1 September 2017, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the department's history. She served in this role until 29 July 2020.

During her presidency, a notable policy—originally introduced in 2016 but continued and upheld during her term—required beneficiaries of the Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) to engage in seven hours of volunteer work per week as part of their integration contract. Upheld by the Conseil d'État in a June 2018 ruling that deemed such requirements permissible when contributing to professional insertion and compatible with job-seeking, the measure aimed to promote civic engagement and social ties. By mid-2018, nearly 800 RSA beneficiaries had participated in volunteer missions, with departmental authorities reporting positive outcomes.

Klinkert was a leading advocate for the creation of the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace, which replaced the departmental councils of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin with a single collectivity having enhanced competencies in areas such as transborder cooperation, bilingualism, tourism, and mobility. As president, she championed the project to restore Alsace's institutional identity, strengthen proximity-based governance, and position the region as a model for localized public policies in France and Europe, emphasizing subsidiarity and cross-border ties with Germany and Switzerland. The relevant law was finalized in 2019, and the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace was formally established on 1 January 2021.

### Minister Delegate for Integration

Brigitte Klinkert was appointed Minister Delegate for Integration on 6 July 2020 in the government of Prime Minister [Jean Castex](/people/jean-castex) under President [Emmanuel Macron](/people/emmanuel-macron). She served as Minister Delegate to the Minister of Labor, Employment and Integration, with responsibility for integration and insertion policies.

During her tenure, which lasted until 20 May 2022, she oversaw significant initiatives aimed at improving employment access and social integration, particularly for vulnerable groups. She advanced the "1 jeune, 1 solution" plan, launched in 2020, which provided comprehensive support to help young people enter the workforce and society, ultimately accompanying around 4 million youths through various measures including training, employment contracts, and guidance.

Klinkert also prioritized the establishment and deployment of the Service public de l'insertion et de l'emploi (Public Service for Integration and Employment), a new framework designed to coordinate and enhance insertion efforts at the local level. This service was progressively rolled out in labeled territories to improve support for job seekers and those facing long-term exclusion from employment.

Her work emphasized field engagement, with extensive visits to insertion structures across France to assess needs and promote inclusive policies. She left the government in May 2022 following the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and subsequently took her seat as a Member of the National Assembly after being elected in the June 2022 legislative elections.

### National Assembly service

Brigitte Klinkert has represented Haut-Rhin's 1st constituency in the National Assembly since 22 June 2022, following her election in the legislative elections where she secured the seat for the Ensemble group. She was reelected in the 2024 legislative elections. Her earlier involvement in the institution included a brief substitute mandate on 29 July 2020 during the 15th legislature.

In November 2022, she was appointed President of the Bureau of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly, a position focused on strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation. This role aligns with her long-standing engagement in Franco-German relations, informed by her prior experience as Minister Delegate for Integration. She continues to prioritize cross-border issues, including through her membership in the study group on border and transborder challenges.

Klinkert serves as a Questor of the National Assembly, having been elected to this administrative and financial oversight position on 13 February 2024 by her group. She was reelected to the role on 19 July 2024.

She is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, where she contributes to discussions on European diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy doctrine, and related matters. She previously participated in the European Affairs Committee. Her legislative work includes authoring a proposal to simplify territorial organization and grant special status to Alsace, reflecting her focus on regional competencies and cross-border cooperation.

## Honors and awards

### French honors

Brigitte Klinkert has received several French national distinctions in recognition of her long-standing contributions to local governance, public administration, and cultural preservation.

She was appointed Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 2009 and promoted to Officier in 2019. The promotion to Officier was announced by decree on 31 December 2018 and conferred by President Emmanuel Macron in July 2019 in acknowledgment of her service as president of the Haut-Rhin Departmental Council.

She was promoted to Officier of the Ordre national du Mérite in 2014, as published in the Journal Officiel by decree of 13 November 2014, for her commitment as vice-president of the Haut-Rhin General Council.

Additionally, she was appointed Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011 for her role in cultural heritage preservation, particularly as president of the association managing the Couvent des Dominicains de Haute-Alsace in Guebwiller.

### German honor

In 2021, Brigitte Klinkert received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Großes Verdienstkreuz).

The award was officially announced on November 1, 2021, in the published list of honors by the Office of the Federal President of Germany. This distinction recognizes outstanding services, particularly in the context of her longstanding efforts to foster Franco-German cooperation through her political roles in the border region of Alsace.

## Dated facts

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## Methodology

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