Andrus Ansip (; born 1 October 1956) is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

n politician, a member of the European Parliament, the former European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...

of the European Commission, in office from 2014 until 2019. Previously, he was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2005 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal

Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party ( et, Eesti Reformierakond) is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" ( et, Oravapartei). It was founded in 1994 by ...

( et, Reformierakond) from 2004 to 2014. Before his entry into politics Ansip trained as a chemist, before working in banking and business. He entered Parliament in 2004, quickly becoming Minister of Economic Affairs, and subsequently Prime Minister in April 2005. On 1 November 2014, he was appointed to the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

Early life and business career

Born in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast o ...

, Ansip graduated from the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

with a degree in Chemistry in 1979. He worked as an engineer at the university from 1979 to 1983 (with a two-year break for mandatory military service). He was an instructor in the Industry Department and Head of the Organisational Department of the Tartu District Committee of the

Soviet Union Communist Party "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

Estonian branch Estonian Communist Party from 1986 to 1988.The Government of the Republic of Estonia
Andrus Ansip - Estonian Government
Ansip has been involved in several banking and investment ventures. He has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the People's Bank of Tartu ( et, Rahvapank), Chairman of the Board of Livonia Privatisation IF, and CEO of Investment Fund Broker Ltd ( et, Fondiinvesteeringu Maakler AS). He also has served as Chairman of the board for Radio Tartu. From 1989 to 1993 Andrus Ansip also managed a Tartu branch of AS Estkompexim.

Political career

Mayor of Tartu

In 1998, Ansip was elected as Mayor of

as a candidate of the centrist-right ''Reformierakond'' (Reform Party), a position which he held until 2004, to great popular acclaim and very high ratings in the opinion polls. He had run in previous elections for the ''

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian language, Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minis ...

'', the Estonian Parliament, but had always given up his seat in order to remain Mayor. He was succeeded by fellow Reform Party member Laine Jänes.

Chairman of Reform Party and Minister of Economics

On 21 November 2004, Ansip became Chairman of

because the party's founder and hitherto chairman, former Prime Minister

Siim Kallas Siim Kallas (; born 2 October 1948) is an Estonian politician, former Prime Minister of Estonia, and former European Commissioner. He served as the European Commissioner for Transport between 2010 and 2014. Before that he was the European Com ...

, had become EU Commissioner and vice president and thus had to move to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. It was obvious that Ansip would have to move to

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, and a chance opened up when the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications in the coalition government of

Juhan Parts Juhan Parts (born 27 August 1966) is an Estonian politician who was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2003 to 2005 and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications from 2007 to 2014. Juhan Parts is a member of Isamaa party. Education Born in T ...

, Meelis Atonen, a party colleague, had to resign. Ansip became his successor on 13 September. His track record as Minister is more difficult to evaluate because of the short duration of his service.

Prime Minister

On 31 March 2005, Ansip was charged by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

Arnold Rüütel to form a government, following 24 March 2005 resignation by Prime Minister Juhan Parts. Ansip was able to form a coalition with the Centre Party and the

People's Union of Estonia The People's Union of Estonia ( et, Eestimaa Rahvaliit) was a political party in Estonia. Its last leader was Margo Miljand. In the 2003 parliamentary election, the party collected 64,463 votes, which made 13.0% share of all votes and 13 manda ...

, which was approved by the Riigikogu on 12 April 2005. Ansip thus became Prime Minister of Estonia. He was backed by 53 out of 101 members of the Riigikogu, 40 deputies voting against. He and the ministers were inaugurated in office the next day, on 13 April. On 4 March 2007, Ansip's Reform Party won 27 percent of the vote in the Estonian parliamentary elections, raising its mandate in the Riigikogu to 31 seats from 19. Ansip personally received over 22,500 votes. He was charged by

Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government. This time the Reform Party formed a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (IRL) and the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

. His second term as Prime Minister began on 5 April 2007. In May 2009, the Social Democrats left the government, and as coalition talks with the

failed, it was decided to continue with a minority government of the Reform Party and IRL. Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip (5373101682)

In March 2011, the Reform Party won 33 seats in the Riigikogu, remaining the largest party even after the country's economic output had fallen by 14 percent in 2009 due to the global financial crisis and the collapse of a real estate price bubble fueled by cheap and easy credit from Nordic banks.David Mardiste (4 March 2014)
Estonian PM submits resignation: president's spokesman
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

''. Ansip was once again charged by

Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government. The Reform Party continued in a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica. Ansip's third term as Prime Minister began on 6 April 2011, when ''

'' approved his third cabinet. But Ansip's center-right coalition soon struggled in polls amid signs of voter fatigue at years of a government focused on fiscal austerity as well as several high-profile party funding scandals. The center-left opposition also gained popularity. On 4 March 2014, Ansip announced his resignation to enable a successor to lead his party into

2015 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in the year 2015. Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burundi ...

. From 4 December 2013 to 26 March 2014 he was the longest-serving

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

Vice President of the European Commission

In the 2014 European elections, Ansip was elected as an MEP received the largest number of preferential votes in Estonia. Shortly after, Prime Minister

Taavi Rõivas Taavi Rõivas (; born 26 September 1979) is a Estonian politician, former Prime Minister of Estonia from 2014 to 2016 and former leader of the Reform Party. Before his term as the Prime Minister, Rõivas was the Minister of Social Affairs fro ...

nominated him as the country's next European Commissioner. On 10 September 2014 President-Elect

Juncker Juncker is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Juncker (singer), full name Christian Juncker, Danish singer and songwriter *Henry Damian Juncker (1809–1868), French-born Roman Catholic prelate and first Bishop of Alton, Illinois ...

of the

announced that he proposed Andrus Ansip as

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

and the

European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...

for the Digital Single Market. He was formally appointed by the European Council as vice president with the consent of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...

Member of the European Parliament, 2019-present

Ansip was re-elected in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. Shortly after, he handed in his resignation from the European Commission to take up the European Parliament seat he won. In Parliament, he has since been serving on 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 ...

. In 2020, he also joined the

Committee on Petitions The Committee on Petitions (PETI) is a permanent committee of the European Parliament to offer a petition process including a web portal to create and admit petitions. Its current chair, elected on 10 July 2019, is Dolors Montserrat, member of the ...

and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age. In addition to his committee assignments, Ansip is part of the Parliament's delegation for relations with the

Pan-African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...

. He is also a member of the European Internet Forum, the European Parliament Intergroup on Artificial Intelligence and Digital and the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.

Relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn

One of the most controversial actions of Ansip's government was relocation of the '' Bronze Soldier of Tallinn'' from a prominent location in the center of Tallinn to the

Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn The Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn ( et, Tallinna Kaitseväe kalmistu), sometimes called the Tallinn Military Cemetery ( et, Tallinna Sõjavae kalmistu), is one of the three cemeteries of the Tallinn City Centre Cemetery (Estonian: ''Siselin ...

adjacent to the city center. The removal of the monument, as well as war graves, from its location on 27 April 2007 led to mass protests and two nights of the worst rioting Estonia has seen since regaining independence.

Personal life

Andrus Ansip is married to

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ar ...

Anu Ansip (b. 1956) and they have three daughters Reet (b. 1977), who is a stomatologist; Tiina (b. 1981) who is a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and Liisa (b. 1997). Andrus Ansip is a member of the Estonian voluntary home guard organisation

Kaitseliit The Estonian Defence League ( et, Eesti Kaitseliit) is the name of the unified paramilitary armed forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Defence League is a paramilitary defence organization whose aim is to guarantee the preservation of the indep ...

(Defence League) since 10 November 2009.

Awards

* On 31 July 2007 Ansip was recognized for "his service in fight for Estonian freedom and Estonian national idea" b
Estonian Central Council in Canada
*

Estonian Newspaper Association The Estonian Newspaper Association ( et, Eesti Ajalehtede Liit) is an umbrella organisation representing common interests of newspapers published in Estonia. As of July 28, 2007, it represents 41 publications. The association was established in 1 ...

named Ansip Press Enemy of 2007. * : On 5 April 2010 Received a copy of the key of the city of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

on the occasion of his state visit to Albania.Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana

References

External links

*
Official biography for Andrus AnsipEstonian Reform Party
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ansip, Andrus 1956 births 21st-century Estonian politicians Estonian businesspeople Estonian European Commissioners Estonian Reform Party MEPs Estonian Reform Party politicians Estonian University of Life Sciences alumni European Commissioners 2014–2019 Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Leaders of political parties in Estonia Living people Mayors of Tartu Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003 Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 MEPs for Estonia 2014–2019 MEPs for Estonia 2019–2024 Politicians from Tartu Prime Ministers of Estonia Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd Class Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Soviet politicians University of Tartu alumni