Claude Turmes has been Minister for Energy and Spatial Planning since 5 December 2018. He was a Member of the European Parliament from June 1999 to June 2018, in which he occupied different positions in the Committee on environment, health and consumer protection as well as the Committee on industry, energy, telecom and research.

He was the rapporteur of European directives on renewable energies, energy efficiency, the electricity market and climate plans. From 2004 to 2018, he was the chairman of EUFORES (European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources), the Interparliamentary association for the promotion of renewable energies in Europe.