Othmar Karas (born 24 December 1957) is an Austrian politician who has been serving as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament since January 2022, having been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1999. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), which in turn affiliates with the European People's Party. Karas sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect. Between 2012 and 2022, he was one of the vice presidents of the European Parliament. He was elected as First Vice-President on 18 January 2022. Education and early career Manager in the banking and insurance sector (since 1981) Magister of Philosophy, political science, University of Vienna (1996) Master of European and International Business Law (MBL), University of St. Gallen (1997) Doctor of Philosophy, political science, University of Vienna (2017) Assistant Secretary-General of Bundesländer Versicherung (currently on leave of absence) Political career Beginnings Federal president of the Union of Students (1976–1979) Political adviser to the ÖVP (1979–1980) First Vice-Chairman of the Austrian Federal Youth Association (1980–1990) Federal Chairman of the Young ÖVP (1981–1990) Member of the national executive of the ÖVP (1981–1991) Secretary-General of the ÖVP (1995–1999) Vice-President of the Young European Christian-Democrats (EUJCD) (1981–1990) Member of the EPP Bureau and Council (since 1995) Member of the steering committee of the European Democrat Union (EDU) (since 1995) Member of the National Council (1983–1990) Member of the European Parliament, 1999–present Karas has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 1999 European elections. He has since been serving on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. In the past, he has in served as a substitute for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and as member of the temporary committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013. More recently, he was a member of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect in 2015 and the Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion in 2016. In 2020, he also joined the Subcommittee on Tax Matters. In the European Parliament, Karas has become one of the center-right's experts on financial regulation. As the rapporteur for the Capital Requirements Directive