Parliament, 2014–2018 Pabriks was elected to the European Parliament at the European election in 2014. He has since been serving on the Committee on International Trade. In this capacity, he is the Parliament’s chief rapporteur on EU-Canada trade agreement CETA. In addition to his committee assignments, he is a member of the Parliament’s delegations to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and for relations with the countries of Central America. In 2015, news media reported that Pabriks was included in a Russian blacklist of prominent people from the European Union who are not allowed to enter the country. In 2016, Pabriks was the Parliament’s lead negotiator on a proposal to set up a new EU border force and coast guard. Leader of Development/For! since 2018 In June 2018 Pabriks left the Unity party and joined the liberal movement Development/For!. He was nominated as the prime ministerial candidate of this electoral alliance and was elected member of the Saeima in the 2018 parliamentary election. Defence Minister (2019-2022) Between January 2019 and 14 December 2022 he was the Minister for Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Latvia in the First Kariņš cabinet. Other activities Baltic Review, Member of the Editorial Board (since 2002) Personal life Pabriks has a daughter from a previous marriage and two children from his wife Undine, an ethnic German. Pabriks speaks fluent Latvian, Russian, and English, as well as some German and Danish. References External links PABRIKS, Artis International Who's Who. accessed September 1, 2006. Pabriks A. Occupational representation and ethnic discrimination in Latvia — Rīga: Nordik, 2002. 1966 births Living people People from Jūrmala People's Party (Latvia) politicians Society for Political Change politicians New Unity politicians For Latvia's Development politicians Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Ministers of Defence of Latvia Deputies of the 8th Saeima Deputies of the 9th Saeima Deputies of the 10th Saeima Deputies of the 11th Saeima Deputies of the 13th Saeima MEPs for Latvia 2014–2019 University of Latvia alumni Rectors of universities in Latvia Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class Aarhus University alumni