Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
politician and diplomat who has served as Vice President of the European Parliament since 2019, and as a
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
(MEP) since 2014 for the
ANO 2011
ANO 2011, often shortened to simply ANO ("Yes" in English), the initials meaning Action of Dissatisfied Citizens ( cs, Akce nespokojených občanů), is a populist political party in the Czech Republic. The party was founded by Andrej Babiš.
Hi ...
party. She has been a Vice President of the
ALDE Party Alde may refer to:
* Alde Mudflats, a reserve in Suffolk, England
* River Alde, a river in Suffolk, England
* Alde Valley School, a school in Leiston, Suffolk, England
* Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe group, a political party in the ...
since 2018.
Early life and career
Charanzová graduated from the
University of Economics in Prague
The Prague University of Economics and Business (PUEB) (originally: ''the University of Economics, Prague''; '' cs, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, VŠE'') is a triple crown accredited economics and business-oriented public university loc ...
and from the
Diplomatic School of Spain
The Diplomatic School of Spain (''Escuela Diplomática'' in Spanish) is an official institution dependent on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (Spain), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. It was constituted in 1942 an ...
in Madrid. In 2001, she obtained a Ph.D. degree from the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Economics in Prague.
Charanzová worked in the diplomatic service of the Czech Republic for eight years, four of which she was posted in the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU. During the Czech Presidency of the EU, she chaired the Trade Policy Committee of the
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
. Between 2000 and 2001, she participated in an EU project which was focused on the reform of public governance in the Czech Republic. During the same two years, she also served as an
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
supervisor for election monitoring during the Kosovo elections.
In the past, she worked in Strasbourg as a TV Studio Manager during the sessions of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Assembly is made up ...
.
Political career
In 2014, Charanzová ran for the elections to the European Parliament as an independent (non-party) candidate on the 3rd place from the list of candidates for ANO 2011 and was elected with a total number of 8,356 preferential votes (i.e. 3.41% of total votes).
In 2018, she was elected Vice President of the ALDE Party.
In the 2019 elections, Charanzová was re-elected to the European Parliament for a second term, with a total number of 53 924 preferential votes (i.e. 10.73% of total votes). She has since been serving as one of the Parliament’s Vice-Presidents; in this capacity, she is part of the Parliament’s leadership under President David Sassoli. In her role as Vice-President, Charanzová is responsible for the Security Policy of the European Parliament for relations with Latin America and a part of the Chancellery of the European Citizens’ Prize.
In the European Parliament, Charanzová is a member of the Renew Europe political group. She is the coordinator for Renew Europe in the
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) is a committee of the European Parliament.
Work of the committee
The committee is responsible for:
* coordination at Community level of national legislation in the sphere of th ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Mercosur
The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Arge ...
.
The main topics Charanzová deals with in the European Parliament are consumer protection, the digital economy international trade, and human rights. As a member of the IMCO Committee, she served as
rapporteur
A rapporteur is a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings. The term is a French-derived word.
For example, Dick Marty was appointed ''rapporteur'' by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Eur ...
on
web accessibility
Web accessibility, or eAccessibility,European CommissionCommunication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the , European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: eAccessibility, EC(2005)1095 pub ...
. She has actively worked on the negotiations of new business opportunities for Czech and European companies, for instance in the US and Latin America, but also globally.
In 2015, Charanzová and
Fernando Maura Barandiarán
Fernando Maura Barandiarán is a Spanish lawyer, politician and writer.
Early life and education
Fernando Maura was born in Bilbao in April 1955, he is the great-grandson of Antonio Maura, President during the reign of Alfonso XIII. He studied l ...
nominated the
Democratic Unity Roundtable
The Democratic Unity Roundtable ( es, Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, MUD) was a catch-all electoral coalition of Venezuelan political parties formed in January 2008 to unify the opposition to President Hugo Chávez's United Socialist Party of ...
(MUD) for the
Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientis ...
.
Other activities
*
European Council on Foreign Relations
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...
In recognition of foreign policy activities, or more precisely, for promoting human rights, Charanzová was the first Czech MEP to win the MEP of the Year Award for 2016 in the category of foreign affairs in March 2016. She won the MEP of the Year Award in 2020 in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection category.
In 2016, Charanzová received the "New Europe 100" Prize awarded to persons from Central and Eastern Europe who have made a significant contribution to the digital development of the region. She was the first Czech MEP to receive this award in the history of the prize. In 2017, Politico listed Charanzová as one of the 41 most influential MEPs. In the same year, ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' also ranked her among the top 20 women who shape Brussels, and she was placed in the same ranking in 2018 and 2020 as well. Politico considers Charanzová as the leading woman on tech issues in the European Parliament at a time when the EU’s digital strategy has taken center stage.
In 2018, Czech ''Forbes'' ranked her within the top 10 in their list of the Top 100 most influential women.
In December 2020, Charanzová received the Internal Market & Consumer Protection award at ''The Parliament Magazines annual MEP Awards.
Personal life
Charanzová and her partner have two daughters, Sophie and Mia. She is fluent in Czech, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
Publications
Charanzová is the author of various publications that deal with European issues. These include:
* Charanzová, Dita. ''Surovinové strategie Evropské unie: globální a domácí výzvy''.
* Charanzová, Dita. ''Salvador de Madariaga''. Velcí Evropané.