Artis Pabriks graduated from the Faculty of History at the University of Latvia and continued his studies at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, receiving a Ph.D. in political science in 1996. As an academician, the main fields of his research activity are political theory, ethnic policy, multiculturalism, and foreign and security policy. He is also the author and co-author of numerous publications on these topics. In 1996, Artis Pabriks became the first Rector of Vidzeme University College, later becoming a Professor there. He has also worked as a policy analyst and researcher in several NGOs. In 2004, he was elected as a Member of the Latvian Parliament and later as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as a Minister until 2007. From 2007 until 2010 he was a Member of the Parliament. He has been a Professor at Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration since 2010. From 2010 until 2014, he was Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia. MEP since July 2014.