Elżbieta Bieńkowska
| Elżbieta Bieńkowska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs | |
|
Assumed office 1 November 2014 | |
| President | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Preceded by |
Michel Barnier (Internal Market and Services) Ferdinando Nelli Feroci (Industry and Entrepreneurship) |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Poland | |
|
In office 27 November 2013 – 22 September 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
| Preceded by | Jacek Rostowski |
| Succeeded by | Tomasz Siemoniak |
| Minister of Infrastructure and Development | |
|
In office 27 November 2013 – 22 September 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Maria Wasiak |
| Minister of Regional Development | |
|
In office 16 November 2007 – 27 November 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
| Preceded by | Grażyna Gęsicka |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 February 1964 Katowice, Poland |
| Political party | Civic Platform |
| Spouse(s) | Artur Bieńkowski[1] |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
Jagiellonian University Polish National School of Public Administration Warsaw School of Economics |
Elżbieta Bieńkowska (Polish pronunciation: [ɛlʐˈbʲiɛta bʲiɛɲˈkɔfska]) née Moycho, born on 4 February 1964 at Katowice in Silesia, is a Polish politician who served as Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Transport before being nominated as European Commissioner by Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014.[2]
Bieńkowska was Minister of Regional Development in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Cabinet from 16 November 2007 until 27 November 2013,[3] when she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Poland while continuing her previous responsibilities at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development.
Education
Bieńkowska graduated from Jagiellonian University with a Master's degree in Oriental Philology in 1989.[3] She has also received a post-graduate Diploma from the Polish National School of Public Administration and afterwards a postgraduate studies MBA from Warsaw School of Economics.[3]
Professional career
Bieńkowska's career in public administration started at Katowice City Council where she worked on regional contracts being promoted, in 1999, as head of Katowice's Department for Economy. Later that year, she was appointed Director of Regional Development for the Silesian Voivodeship, where she served until 2007.
Career in politics
Bieńkowska describes herself as a technocrat.[4] She is not a party member, and was elected to the Senate of Poland in 2011 as an independent candidate, backed by the Civic Platform.[5]
In the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Bieńkowska served as Minister for Infrastructure and Development for Poland, as well as Deputy Prime Minister from the end of 2013 until October 2013. In this capacity, she was charge of allocating European Union funding and the country's transport infrastructure.[6] Under her leadership, the ministry was Poland’s second-largest department after the ministry of finance, with 1,600 employees and nine deputy ministers.[5] In February 2013, she secured €105.8 billion from the EU budget for 2014-20.[5]
On 3 September 2015, Bieńkowska was announced as the Polish nominee to the European Commission, in place of foreign affairs minister Radek Sikorski, who had been put forward in August in a bid to secure the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.[7]
On 10 September 2014, Juncker designated Bieńkowska as European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, following which, on 1 November 2014, she took office in the Juncker Commission.
Since 2015, Bieńkowska has been chairing the European Commission’s High-level Group of Personalities on Defence Research.[8]
Honours and decorations
-
- Commander (with Sash), Royal Norwegian Order of Merit -
- Fire Service Medal (Gold), Katowice[9]
Personal life
Bieńkowska is married and has three children.[5] The family owns three dogs.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ "Elżbieta Bieńkowska: Nie jestem yorkiem ani bulterierem [WYWIAD WIDEO]". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ "Candidates for Ministers [BIOs]". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Elżbieta Bieńkowska". Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Poland.
- ↑ "Platforma Obywatelska - E. Bieńkowska: Jestem technokratą". platforma. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Annabelle Chapman (January 15, 2014), Elżbieta Bieńkowska – Hidden asset European Voice.
- ↑ Marcin Sobczyk (February 13, 2014), Poland Sacks Roads Agency Head Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Cynthia Kroet (September 3, 2014), Poland nominates Bieńkowska as Commission candidate European Voice.
- ↑ Simon Taylor (March 30, 2015), High-level group of personalities on defence research European Voice.
- ↑ Asia Kosma. "Złote medale "Za zasługi dla pożarnictwa"". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Valentina Pop (August 9, 2015), In Juncker’s European Commission, Dog Owners Outnumber Cat Lovers Wall Street Journal.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Grażyna Gęsicka |
Minister of Regional Development 2007–2013 |
Position abolished |
| Preceded by Jacek Rostowski |
Deputy Prime Minister of Poland 2013–2014 |
Succeeded by Tomasz Siemoniak |
| New office | Minister of Infrastructure and Development 2013–2014 |
Succeeded by Maria Wasiak |
| Preceded by Jacek Dominik |
Polish European Commissioner 2014–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Michel Barnier as European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services |
European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs 2014–present | |
| Preceded by Ferdinando Nelli Feroci as European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship | ||
 | ||