Erik Marquardt is a Member of the European Parliament for The Greens/EFA since 2019. In the ninth legislative term, he served as vice-chair of the Committee on Development (DEVE) as well as the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries. Moreover, Erik was a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the spokesperson of the German Greens in the European Parliament on asylum and migration.

Before he engaged in politics, Erik was working as a photojournalist documenting the situation of refugees on the Balkan route, in Greece and the Mediterranean, among others. He organised many expositions and presentations to illustrate the situation of refugees and to promote greater understanding. He was also rescuing people in the Mediterranean and supports NGOs engaged in search and rescue.