the campaign for federalisation of the European Union (EU). On 16 November 2013, he was elected president of the Union of European Federalists. Following the 2013 German elections, Brok was part of the CDU/CSU team in the negotiations with the SPD on a coalition agreement. Other activities (selection) Bonner Akademie für Forschung und Lehre praktischer Politik (BAPP), Member of the Board of Trustees Deutsche Gesellschaft, Member of the Board Dimitris Tsatsos Institute for European Constitutional Law at the FernUniversität Hagen, Member of the Board of Trustees European Endowment For Democracy (EED), Member of the Board of Governors Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Member of the Steering Committee German-Hungarian Forum, Co-Chairman Residential adult education center Heimvolkshochschule St. Hedwigs-Haus, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Institute for European Politics, Member of the Board of Trustees Reimagine Europa, Member of the Advisory Board Union of European Federalists (UEF), President Volksbank Foundation for Cultural Affairs in Paderborn, Höxter and Detmold, Member of the Board of Trustees Political views European integration Over the course of his political career, Brok has been an advocate of ever closer integration between Germany and the other countries of the European Union. Along with Greek MEP Dimitris Tsatsos, he was one of the European Parliament's two official observers at the EU negotiations that culminated in the Treaty of Nice, a deal which he later harshly criticized. Brok has been an early proponent of having the European Union abandon its old method of leaving constitutional negotiations to national leaders. In 2013, however, he opposed German plans to hold national referendums for major decisions on Europe; he argued that "[i]f this was implemented in Germany, it would be seen abroad as putting an end to further development of the EU, the EU would become ineffective." Brok is regarded a critic of an accession of Turkey to the European Union. In 2011, he expressed his skepticism of Turkey's efforts to establish itself as a regional power within the Arab world; in his view, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is seeking to transform it into a regional power similar to the status it held "earlier with the Ottoman Empire" rather than pursuing the goal of EU membership. In 2018, Brok voted against transnational voting lists for European elections. Relations with Russia Brok is an advocate of pursuing a "two-track policy with Russia". In an