From 1982 to 2002 he was member of the Parliament of the Free and Federal State of Hamburg (German: Hamburgische Bürgerschaft).

In addition to his parliamentary activities, he was CEO and is co-owner of the Public relations firm Industrie-Contact AG in Hamburg.

[4] During the current legislative period, Klimke is member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and spokesperson of the CDU/CSU group in the Subcommittee for the United Nations, International Organizations and Globalization.

[1] In August 2015, Klimke was appointed as the first Special Representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for the Baltic Sea Area.

[5] In addition to his parliamentary work, Klimke holds a number of honorary positions, including the following: In September 2016, Klimke announced that he would not stand in the 2017 federal elections but instead resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term.