From 1969 to 1973 he was Minister for Economy and Transport of the State of Schleswig-Holstein and from 1981 to 1988 he was a European Commissioner.

During World War II, Narjes was a soldier in Kriegsmarine serving on a submarine U-91 with the rank of Leutnant zur See.

After the submarine was sunk by the British Navy on 26 February 1944 eastwards of the Azores, Narjes became a prisoner of war of Britain.

[1] From 1971 to January 1973, Narjes was a member of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein, i.e. the state parliament.

This biography article about a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) is a stub.