Sandra Kalniete (born 22 December 1952) is a

Latvian politician The politics of Latvia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President holds a primarily ceremonial role as Head ...

, author, diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries in 2004. Since 2009, she has served as

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) for the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

. She is currently a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and a substitute member of the

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) is a committee of the European Parliament. Responsibilities of the Committee AGRI is the European Parliament committee responsible for: #The operation and development of the Common Agricul ...

(AGRI). Additionally she is a member on the Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

) and a substitute member on the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and on the Delegation to the

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is the inter-parliamentary forum in which members of the European Parliament and the national parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia participate and forge closer political and economic ...

. After her reelection in 2014 she became Vice-Chair of the

Group of the European People's Party The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of Member of the European Parliament, deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes ...

in the European Parliament. Kalniete is also the chairperson of the

Reconciliation of European Histories Group Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

, an all-party group in the European Parliament involved in promoting the

Prague Process Prague Process may refer to: *Prague Process (Armenian–Azerbaijani negotiations) *Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism was a declaration which was initiated by the ...

. The group includes 40 MEPs from across the political spectrum including the

, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the

Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...

, and the

Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was officially founded as a Socialist ...

. She has previously served as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

(1993–97),

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(1997–2000) and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(2000–02). Beside her native Latvian language she is also fluent in English, French and Russian.

Background

Kalniete was born in Togur,

Kolpashevsky District Kolpashevsky District (russian: Колпа́шевский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #271-OZ and municipalLaw #195-OZ district (raion), one of the sixteen in Tomsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the center of the oblast. The area of ...

Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast (russian: То́мская о́бласть, ''Tomskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative cen ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

, Russia, where her family had been

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

from

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

by the

Soviet secret police The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

during the occupation of her country by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, for use as

slave labour Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Her mother Ligita Kalniete (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Dreifelde, 1926-2006) was first deported together with her mother and father in 1941, after which Ligita returned in 1948, just to be deported again in 1949. Her father Aivars Kalnietis (born 1931) was deported together with his mother in 1949 as well. She only saw her native country when she was five years old, when the family was allowed to return in 1957. She studied art at the Latvian Academy of Art from 1977 to 1981 and worked as an art historian, publishing a book, ''Latvian Textile Art'', in 1989. She joined politics in 1988, during Latvia's independence movement, and was a deputy chairwoman and one of the founders of

Latvian Popular Front The Popular Front of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Tautas fronte) was a political organisation in Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and the ...

, the main pro-independence political organization. Ms. Kalniete has graduated from the Department of Art History and Art Theory at the

Art Academy of Latvia The Art Academy of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija) is an institution of higher education and scientific research in art, located in Riga, Latvia. The neo-Gothic brick building is located on Krišjānis Valdemārs Street, next to t ...

(1981), the Institute for International Studies at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

(1992), The

Graduate Institute of International Studies Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumnus, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed hi ...

at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

(1995), and has a Master of Arts from the Art Academy of Latvia (1996). After Latvia declared independence, Kalniete worked in Latvia's

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

and served as Latvia's ambassador to the UN (from 1993 to 1997), France (from 1997 to 2000) and

(from 2000 to 2002).

Political career

Kalniete became Foreign Minister of Latvia in November 2002 and served in this position until in 2004 when she was appointed the first Latvian Commissioner of the European Union in charge of Agriculture and Fisheries. A large part of the Latvian society was shocked after she was not re-nominated as Latvia's EU Commissioner. Afterwards, Kalniete stepped aside from politics and refused the low-rank diplomatic positions she was offered. At the beginning of 2006, Kalniete joined the

New Era Party The New Era Party ( lv, Jaunais laiks, JL) was a centre-right political party in Latvia. Founded in 2002, the party merged with Civic Union and Society for Other Politics to form Unity in 2011. New Era was a member of the European People' ...

. In October 2006, she was elected to the Latvian parliament. She was the 2007 candidate of the New Era Party for the post of Latvian president, before withdrawing in favor of

Aivars Endziņš Aivars Endziņš (born 8 December 1940, in Riga) is a Latvian lawyer and politician. He graduated from the University of Latvia in 1968 and in 1977 attained a candidate of legal sciences degree. In 1997 he became a Doctor of Jurisprudence. He ...

on 24 May 2007. Between 2006 and 2007, Kalniete served as member of the

Amato Group The Amato Group, officially the Action Committee for European Democracy (ACED) was a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became known as the Treaty ...

, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...

into what became known as the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...

following its rejection by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

voters. In 2008, Kalniete announced she was leaving the New Era Party. She joined the newly founded Civic Union and became the party's leader. In the

2009 European Parliament election The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making th ...

she was elected as a

and reelected in the

2014 European Parliament election in Latvia An election of the delegation from Latvia to the European Parliament was held on 24 May 2014. Background At the previous European Parliament election in Latvia in 2009, the country elected 8 MEPs. Upon entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty La ...

. She put herself forward as a potential candidate to succeed Andris Bērziņš as

President of Latvia The president of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Valsts prezidents ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. The term of office is four years. Before 1999, it w ...

after his decision to step down in 2015.

Human rights activism

Sandra Kalniete is involved in many human rights causes pertaining to

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...

crimes. She is the chair of the

, an all-party group in the European Parliament aimed at coming to terms with the

past in many countries of Europe. In 2004, she argued that "behind the Iron Curtain the Soviet regime continued to commit genocide against the peoples of Eastern Europe and, indeed, against its own people ..the two totalitarian regimes—Nazism and Communism—were equally criminal." She elaborated on this in 2006 when she came up with death counts for the two regimes, pointing out that the Soviet Union killed around 94.5 million people.

Publications

She is an author of four books: * ''Latviešu tekstilmāksla'' (''Latvian Textile Art''), 1989. * ''Es lauzu, tu lauzi, mēs lauzām. Viņi lūza'' (''I Broke, You Broke, We Broke. They Fell Apart''), a book about Latvia's independence movement, published in 2000. * ''Ar balles kurpēm Sibīrijas sniegos'' (''With Dancing Shoes in Siberian Snows''), a book about the deportation of her family to

during the

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

era and her family's efforts to return to their home country, first published in 2001. * "Prjaņiks. Debesmannā. Tiramisū." (

Gingerbread Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as ...

. Sweet-porridge. Tiramisu), Rīga, Zelta grauds, 2012. ''With Dancing Shoes in Siberian Snows'' was published in French as ''En escarpins dans les neiges de Sibérie'' and was nominated for the ''documentary book of the month'' by the readers of ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' magazine. Since its publishing it has been translated into more than ten languages.

Translations

The book ''Ar balles kurpēm Sibīrijas sniegos'', Riga, Latvia: Atēna, 2001 () has been translated into several languages: * Albanian: "Këpucë balerine mbi dëborën siberiane". Transl.: Durim Taçe. Skopje, Macedonia: Shkupi (2010). * French: ''En escarpins dans les neiges de Sibérie''. Transl.: Velta Skujina. Paris, France: Editions des Syrtes, 2003. * German: ''Mit Ballschuhen im sibirischen Schnee''. Transl.: Matthias Knoll. München, Germany: Herbig Verlag, 2005. * Italian: ''Scarpette da ballo nelle nevi di Siberia''. Transl.: G. Weiss. Milano, Italy: Libri Scheiwiller, 2005. * Japanese: ''Dansu shûzu de yuki no Shiberia e''. Transl.: Ayumi Kurosawa. Tôkyô: Shinhyôron, 2014. * Czech: ''V plesových střevíčkách sibiřským sněhem''. Transl.: Michal Škrabal. Praha, Czech Republic: Lubor Kasal, 2005. * Swedish: ''Med högklackade skor i Sibiriens snö''. Transl.: Juris Kronbergs. Stockholm, Sweden: Atlantis, 2005. * English: ''With Dance Shoes in Siberian Snows''. Transl.: Margita Gailītis. Riga, Latvia: The Latvian Occupation Museum Association, 2006. * Russian: ''В бальных туфельках по сибирским снегам''. Riga, Latvia: Atēna, 2006. * Finnish: ''Tanssikengissä Siperiaan''. Transl.: Hilkka Koskela. Helsinki, Finland: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö, 2007. * Dutch: ''Op dansschoenen in de Siberische sneeuw''. Transl.: Marijke Koekoek. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij van Gennep, 2006. * Arabic: Cairo, Egypt: Sphinx Agency for Arts and Literature, 2009. * Spanish: ''Con zapatos de fiesta en las nieves de Siberia''. Transl.: Jānis Kleinbergs; text editor: María Maestro; iluustrator: Agnese Čemme, Lasītava, 2019

Career experience and political activities

* June 2014 – Member of the European Parliament (Committee on Foreign Affairs, Agricultural un Rural Development committee) * June 2009 – Member of the European Parliament (Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee, Agricultural un Rural Development committee, Women's Rights and Gender Equality committee) * April 2008 – Leader of the "Civic Union" party * January 2008 – Left party "New Era" * October 2006 – Member of Parliament of Republic of Latvia (Foreign Affairs commission and European Affairs commission) * January 2006 – Member of right conservative party "New Era" * March 2005 – Ambassador, Special Adviser to EU Commissioner for Energy * March 2005 – Member of the Board of Trustees of the independent think tank Friends of Europe, Member of Editorial Board of Europe's World * December 2004 – Member of the Administrative Board of Robert Schuman Fondation (France) * 1 May – 20 November 2004 – the European Commissioner * 7 November 2002 – 9 March 2004 – Minister of Foreign Affairs * 2000 – 2002 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to UNESCO * 1997 – 2002 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to France * 1993 – 1997 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the United Nations in Geneva * 1990 – 1993 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Chief of Protocol, Deputy Foreign Minister * 1988 – 1990 Latvian Popular Front (LPF): General Secretary of the LPF Coordinating Council, Deputy Chairman * 1987 – 1988 Latvian Artists' Union: General Secretary

Awards

* 1995 – Commander of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

(Latvia) *2000 –

Cabinet of Ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...

Award (Latvia) *2001 –

Commander of the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(France) *2002 – Commander of the

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(France) *2004 – Commander's Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...

(Lithuania) *2005 – Commander of the Great Cross of the

Cross of Recognition The Cross of Recognition ( lv, Atzinības krusts) is a state decoration of Latvia. History The decoration was established in 1710 in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia by Duke Frederick William as a symbol of the then-established Order of Rec ...

(Latvia) * 2009 – Order "Mérite Européen" in Gold (Fondation du Mérite Européen, Luxembourg): ''for promoting a stronger and more united Europe'' * 2009 – Medal of the

Baltic Assembly The Baltic Assembly (BA) is a regional organisation that promotes intergovernmental cooperation between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It attempts to find a common position in relation to many international issues, including economic, politic ...

: ''for organizing and coordinating the

Baltic Way The Baltic Way ( lt, Baltijos kelias, lv, Baltijas ceļš, et, Balti kett) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to ...

manifestation, for developing and strengthening unity among the Baltic Nations, and for the support and work lent to the people of the Baltic Nations'' *2012 – Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd degree (Estonia) *2018 –

Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is a non-profit anti-communist organization in the United States, authorized by a unanimous Act of Congress in 1993 for the purpose of "educating Americans about the ideology, history and legac ...

*2020 –

Order of Princess Olga The Order of Princess Olga ( uk, Орден княгині Ольги) is a Ukrainian civil decoration, featuring Olga of Kiev and bestowed to women for "personal merits in state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charity and other ...

, 1st Class (Ukraine)

Board-member/affiliations

* La Fondation pour l’innovation politique * Rural Investment Support for Europe (RISE) Foundation *

Friends of Europe Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based, not-for-profit think-tank for European Union policy analysis and debate. The organisation, established in 1999, has no political or national allegiance and is independent of the EU institutions. Its declared ...

* Fondation Robert-Schuman *

Koknese Koknese () is a town in Aizkraukle Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the right bank of the Daugava River. It has a population of nearly 3,000. According to the provisions of the 2021 Latvian administrative reform, Koknese gained ...

Fund (''Kokneses Fonds'') *

Notre Europe The Jacques Delors Institute (french: Institut Jacques Delors), which also uses the name ''Notre Europe'' (French for "Our Europe"), is an independent think tank based in Paris. Founded in 1996 by Jacques Delors, it aims to "think a united Europ ...

* European Movement – Latvia * Baltic - Black Sea Alliance (''Baltijas-Melnās jūras alianse'') * Board of the Friends of EUROCLIO Foundation * Advisory board member of the

European Network Remembrance and Solidarity European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) was created in 2005 as a joint initiative by German, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak ministers of culture. In 2014 Romania joined the structure. The purpose of the ENRS is to document and promote ...

References

External links

Official website

Sandra Kalniete's Twitter account

European People's Party page on Sandra Kalniete

European Voice topics page on Sandra Kalniete

International Who's Who. , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalniete, Sandra 1952 births Living people People from Kolpashevsky District New Era Party politicians Civic Union (Latvia) politicians New Unity politicians Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Deputies of the 9th Saeima Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Ambassadors of Latvia to France Latvian expatriates in Switzerland Civic Union (Latvia) MEPs Latvian European Commissioners MEPs for Latvia 2009–2014 MEPs for Latvia 2014–2019 MEPs for Latvia 2019–2024 Permanent Delegates of Latvia to UNESCO Permanent Representatives of Latvia to the United Nations Female foreign ministers Women MEPs for Latvia Women European Commissioners Women government ministers of Latvia 21st-century Latvian women politicians Latvian women diplomats Women ambassadors Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class Women deputies of the Saeima