Karl-Heinz Lambertz was born on 4 June 1952 in Schoppen, Belgium. He studied law in Louvain-la-Neuve and further education in German law at the University of Heidelberg. Between 1976 and 1980, he started his career as an assistant professor at the Law department of the Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve (UCL). Moreover during that period, he was the President of the Council of the German-speaking Youth and a Member of the Commission for the Official German Translation of Laws and Decrees. In 1980, he was hired as a Consultant at the Office of the Minister for Institutional Reforms and deputy manager of Aerotech Ltd. By 1981, he became a member of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community. From 1981 to 1990, he continued working as a consultant for the SRIW (Société Régionale d'Investissement de Wallonie). During this time he also became Chairman of the Socialist Group in the Council of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Between 1984 and 1990, he was President of the Socialist Party of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. He became a member of the Executive Board in 1986. From 1990 to 1999, he held two ministerial positions for the German speaking Community: he was in charge of Media, Adult Education, Policy for the Disabled, Social Aid and Professional Retraining (1990-1995), and later responsible for Youth, Training, Media and Social Matters (1995-1999). Since 1999, he has been Minister-President of the German speaking Community in Belgium. From 1999 to 2004, he was also Minister of the German speaking Community for Employment, Policy for the Disabled, Media and Sport; since 2004 he is also Minister of Local Authorities. Since 1999, he has been a Member of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), active in the Commission for Culture, Education & Research (EDUC) and the Commission for Economic & Social Policy (ECOS). In 2009, he was nominated as a Member of the Bureau of the CoR and elected in March 2011 as First Vice-President of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions. Since 18 May 2011, he has been Acting President of the Group and was elected unanimously on the 30 June 2011, President of the Group in the Committee of the Regions.
