From 1981 until 1993, he was a member of the federal committee of the CDU party and the national chairman of the association for medium-sized businesses (Mittelstandsvereinigung) of the CDU/CSU from 1987 until 1993.

In 1969, he established "Canvassing" in Rhineland-Palatinate, which encourages personal visits of candidates at the electors' homes.

[6] In later election campaigns after the German Reunification, he invented the so-called "living room discussions" and publicly appeared together with Petra Pau, a candidate of the PDS.

[9][10][11] In June 1990, he became the city councillor for economics of East Berlin in the municipality of Tino Schwierzina.

From 1991 until 1996, he was the Senator of Finance in the state government of Eberhard Diepgen and from March 1991 until December 1994, he was a member of the administrative council of the trust institution.

[12] In 1961, Pieroth started an aid project together with employees of his company to help farmers in West African Togo.

[13] Since 2001, Elmar Pieroth is the chairman of the society "Most-Brücke von Berlin nach Mittel- und Osteuropa e.V.

"[14] In 2007, he founded the "Stiftung Bürgermut" of Berlin and acts as the chairman of the charity's board of trustees.