Gerbrandy first became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the 2009 elections. Throughout his time in parliament, he served on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Between 2012 and 2014, he was the committee’s vice-chairman. In this capacity, he chaired part of the negotiations on an EU ban on ‘invasive alien species’ that have a negative impact on the environment. He was also part of the European Parliament’s delegations to the 2014 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima; the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris; and the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh.