Lívia Járóka (born 6 October 1974, in Tata) is a Hungarian politician. She is a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

, first elected as part of the

Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; ) is a national-conservative political party in Hungary led by Viktor Orbán. It has increasingly identified as illiberal. Originally formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young Democrats () as ...

list in 2004. Járóka is the second Romani (and the first Romani woman) ever elected to the European Parliament (after Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia from Spain, who served from 1986 to 1999). Járóka grew up in

Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

, a town near Hungary's western border with

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Her father is ethnically Roma, her mother Hungarian. After getting an MA in sociology from the

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

campus of the

Central European University Central European University (CEU; , ) is a private research university in Vienna. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, which are accredited in Austria and the United States. The univ ...

on a scholarship from the

Open Society Institute Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...

she went on to study

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, focusing on Romani issues and culture. In August 2003 she had a daughter and a son in 2007. In 2012 she finished her PhD in Social Anthropology at the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

. Járóka has been criticized as an apologist for the treatment of Hungarian Roma by her party, Fidesz. She has also declined to criticize Fidesz' campaign against

George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...

, and the party's attacks on her alma mater, the

Memberships

She is a member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality and the Delegation for Relations with South Africa. She is a substitute member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, as well the Delegation for Relations with the Korean Peninsula. In 2014 she retired as an MEP but returned on 15 September 2017 after Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz left the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two 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 ...

. She was elected a

Vice-President of the European Parliament There are fourteen vice-presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the President of the European Parliament, president in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament. Role Vice-presidents are members of the Bureau (European P ...

on 15 November 2017. She was re-elected in that position on 3 July 2019. She served as Vice-President until 17 January 2022.

Personal life

She is married and has two children.

Other memberships

* Roma Education Fund * High Level Group of Roma Diplomacy Program * European Roma Information Office * Prior Board Member of Open Society Institute, Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program

Research activities

* September 2000-April 2002: Ethnographic field research on assimilation tendencies of Roma in Hungary * May 1998-May 2001: Sociological research among Roma students of Gandhi Gimnazium, Hungary * 2000 - 2003 University College of London, PhD research on ethnic relations and economics, identity and radicalisation in cultural self-representation of the young Roma in the 8. District, an urban slum in Budapest

Awards

* Elected Young Global Leader in 2006 by the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum * 2006 and 2013

of the Year (MEP) award in the category of Justice and Fundamental Rights * Awarded the Romanian Foreign Ministry's Excellency Award for the Social Integration of Minorities in 2010 * Awarded the Presidential Order of Merit of Hungary for her outstanding work during the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2011 * Won the St. Adalbert Award of the Hungarian Association of Christian Intellectuals in 2011 * Award of the "Fundación Secretariado Gitano" in 2012

References

External links

Official Website

Speech by Lívia Járóka at Second European Roma Summit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaroka, Livia Hungarian Romani people Hungarian women anthropologists Romani women politicians Romani politicians Living people 1974 births Fidesz politicians Fidesz MEPs MEPs for Hungary 2004–2009 MEPs for Hungary 2009–2014 Women MEPs for Hungary Central European University alumni People from Tata, Hungary MEPs for Hungary 2014–2019 MEPs for Hungary 2019–2024 21st-century Hungarian women politicians