European Commission
The European Commission is an independent, collegiate body, whose President and members are nominated by European heads of state and government and approved by the European Parliament every five years following the European parliamentary elections. Seven members of the European Commission are members of the PES.
Margot Wallström
Vice President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy
Born on 28 September 1954, married and mother of two children, Margot Wallström is Swedish. She graduated from high school in 1973. She started her career as the ombudsman of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (1974-1977). She then was an accountant in Karlstad (1977-1979). Margot Wallström was a Member of Parliament from 1979 to 1985. She was promoted senior accountant in Karlstad (1986-1987). She was Minister of Civil Affairs (Consumer Affairs, Women and Youth) from 1988 to1991 and then CEO of TV Värmland (Regional Television Network) in 1993-1994. In 1993, she was a Member of the Executive Committee of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. She got nominated Minister of Culture (1994-1996), Minister of Social Affairs (1996-1998) and Executive Vice-president of Worldview Global Media, Colombo, Sri Lanka (1998-1999). Member of the European Commission responsible for Environment (1999-2004), Margot Wallström is, since November 2004, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy.
Other:
2001: Honorary doctor at Chalmers University, Sweden; 2002: European Commissioner of the Year (by European Voice); 2004: IAIA Global Environmental Award (the International Association for Impact Assessment);
2004: Honorary doctor at Mälardalen University, Sweden; 2004: Book (together with MEP Göran Färm): THE PEOPLE’ S EUROPE or Why is it so hard to love the EU? (“FOLKENS EUROPA eller Varför är det så svårt att älska EU?”)
Günther Verheugen
Joaquín Almunia
Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
Joaquín Almunia was born in Spain on 17 June of 1948. He’s married with two children. He graduated in Law and Economics at the University of Deusto (Bilbao), studied at L’École Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris, then followed the “Senior managers in Government” program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) on Employment and Social Security Law. He started his professional life as Economist at the Council Bureau of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Brussels (1972-1975). He was then Chief economist of the UGT, a Spanish trade union (1976-1979). His first political position was as a Member of the Spanish Parliament in 1979 (he remained a MP until 2004). From 1982 to1986, Joaquín Almunia was Minister of Employment and Social Security and Minister of Public Administration from 1986 to 1991. He was also Spokesperson of the Socialist Parliamentary Group between 1994 and1997. Joaquín Almunia then became Leader of the PSOE (1997-2000). Since 26 April 2004, he is Member of the European Commission, responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Danuta Hübner
Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Regional Policy
Professor Danuta Hübner was born on 8 April 1948 in Poland and is the mother of two daughters. Her educational background and academic career is very impressive: she got her Ph. D. in economics in 1974, a post-doctoral degree in international trade relations in 1980; from 1981 to 1987, Pr Hübner was Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Developing Countries at Warsaw School of Economics; from 1988 to 1990 she was Fulbright scholar at Berkeley, University of California; then, from 1991 to 1994 she was Deputy Director of the Institute for Development and Strategic Studies in Warsaw. In 1992, she received the scientific title of Professor conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland.
Professor Danuta Hübner started her professional career as Under-Secretary of State in the Polish Ministry of Industry and Trade (1994-1996). She was chief Negotiator for accession to OECD (1995-1996). From 1997 to 1998, she was Minister Head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. She then worked in Geneva for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe where she was Deputy Executive Secretary (1998-2000), then Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary (2000-2001). Professor Danuta Hübner joined the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Head of Office of the Committee for European Integration and Secretary of State (2001-2003). From 2003 to 2004 she was Minister for European Affairs. As of 2004, she is a Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Regional Policy.
László Kovács
Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union
Born on 3 July 1939 in Budapest, László Kovács is married and has one daughter. He studied chemical industry, economic sciences and politics.
László Kovács started his professional career in 1957 as a chemical technician. He joined the Youth and student movement in 1966. From 1975 to 1986, he was deputy head of the department for international relations at the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ party. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1986 and was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2004. In 1995, László Kovács became Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 1997 to 1999, he was Member of the Council of Wise Men of the Council of Europe. In 1998-2000, he was Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the Hungarian Socialist Party. From 1996 to 2003, László Kovács was Co-Chairman of the Central and East European Committee of the Socialist International. He is Vice-Chairman of the Socialist International since 2003. From 1990 to 2004, he was Member of the Presidium of the Hungarian Socialist Party and Member of the Parliament. He was also Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party from 1998 to 2004. Since 2004, László Kovács is Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union.
Vladimír Špidla
Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
Born on April 22, 1951 in Prague, Mr Špidla completed his secondary education in 1970 to enrolin the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague where he read history and prehistory. In 1976, he successfully defended his thesis on the subject of the foundation of the Živnobanka financial institution. He then took up a number of jobs: such as in the field of preservation of historical monuments and nature conservation; archaeologist, saw mill worker, employee in a dairy and a building materials warehouse.
Without party affiliation before 1989, Mr.Spidla is one of the founding members of the CSSD, the Czech Social Democratic Party. In 1990, Mr Špidla became Vice-Chairman of the Jindrichùv Hradec District National Committee responsible for education, health care, social affairs and culture. In 1991 - 1996, he served as director of the local job centre. In 1992, he became a member of the Presidium of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), in March 1997 its statutory Vice-Chairman, and in April 2001 Chairman of the CSSD.
In the Chamber of Deputies, to which he was elected in 1996, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Social Policy and Health Care Committee. From July 22, 1998 to July 12 2002, he held the post of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs authorised by the Government to co-ordinate the departments of labour and social affairs, health care, education, youth and physical training, the environment, and culture. He was appointed as Prime Minister on July 12, 2002. As of 22 November 2004 Mr Spidla is European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
Peter Mandelson
Member of the European Commission, Commissioner for Trade
Peter Mandelson was born in Britain in 1953. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. After working as an economist at the Trades Union Congress and as a current affairs TV producer, Peter Mandelson was later appointed Labour Party Director for Campaigns and Communications in 1985. Later he was Tony Blair’s Campaign Manager in the May 1997 election that brought Labour to power in Britain.
In 1990 he was elected as member of parliament for Hartlepool. He served until 2004 upon his appointment to the European Commission.
Peter Mandelson was appointed to the British Cabinet as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 1998. He had responsibility for the introduction of Britain’s first ever National Minimum Wage and oversaw new measures to strengthen regional development through the creation of Regional Development Agencies.
In 1999 Peter Mandelson was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Between 1999 and 2001 he negotiated the creation of Northern Ireland’s power sharing government and the IRA’s announcement that they planned to put their arms beyond use. Peter Mandelson is honorary Chair of Policy Network, a European and international think tank whose journal and conferences promote the exchange and debate of centre-left policy ideas and European social democratic thinking.
Peter Mandelson was made EU Commissioner for Trade in 2004. At his confirmation hearing in the European Parliament in October 2004, he said: “I am convinced that trade policy, used well, can make a powerful contribution to economic development around the world, as long as we recognise the needs of the poorest.”
