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Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva (; born 22 June 1957) is a
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n and EU politician.


Early life and education

Born in
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, Kuneva is descended from a Catholic family from the town of Rakovski. She graduated in Law from
Sofia University Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...
in 1981, and in 1984 she became a Doctor of Law. She worked as a journalist for the Law Programme of the
Bulgarian National Radio Bulgarian National Radio (, ''Bǎlgarsko nacionalno radio''; abbreviated to БНР, BNR) is Bulgaria's national radio broadcasting organisation. It operates two national channels and nine regional channels, as well as an international service ( R ...
while being an assistant professor at
Sofia University Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...
. As an anchor, she participated in various campaigns related ti human rights, such as the abolition of the death penalty, which still existed at that time in the country. In 1990 she took a job as Senior Legal Advisor at the
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
and held it until 2001. In the meantime Kuneva specialized in
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...
and
Environmental Law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...
at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
and the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.


Political career


Career in national politics

In June 2001 Kuneva was elected a ''deputy'' (Member of Bulgarian Parliament) as a founding member of the Liberal Simeon II National Movement (NDSV) party. In August 2001 Kuneva left her position in the Bulgarian parliament because she was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chief Negotiator of the
Republic of Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
with the European Union. She represented the Bulgarian Government in the Convention on the Future of Europe (the European Convention), which designed the EU Constitutional Treaty (the European Constitution). In May 2002 Kuneva was appointed Bulgaria's first Minister of European Affairs in the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
of former
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Simeon Sakskoburggotski. She held that job even after the 2005 parliamentary elections, when NDSV became a junior partner in the
Bulgarian Socialist Party The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), also known as The Centenarian, is a centre-left, social democratic political party in Bulgaria. The BSP is a member of the Socialist International, Party of European Socialists, and Progressive Alliance. Alt ...
-dominated
coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
of
Sergey Stanishev Sergey Dmitrievich Stanishev ( ; born 5 May 1966) is a Bulgarian politician who served Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Socialist Party, which he led from 2001 to 2014, he later served as Member of the European Pa ...
– the only minister of the former cabinet to retain her post.


European Commissioner for Consumer Protection

On 26 October 2006 Kuneva was nominated to be Bulgaria's first member of the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
. European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso assigned her the
portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
of
Consumer Protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...
. Kuneva was decisively approved by 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 ...
on 12 December 2006 with 583 votes "in favour", 21 votes "against" and 28 votes "abstentions". She commenced her
mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...
as EU Commissioner on 1 January 2007, when Bulgaria officially joined the EU. In January 2007 Meglena Kuneva took an Oath as a European Commissioner at the European Court in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. During her term in office, Kuneva was interested in online data collection (of personal data), profiling and
behavioral targeting Targeted advertising or data-driven marketing is a form of advertising, including online advertising, that is directed towards an audience with certain traits, based on the product or person the advertiser is promoting. These traits can either ...
, and in particular is looking for "enforcing existing regulation on the Internet and to regulate where adequate response to consumer concerns on the issue of data collection".


Return to national politics

In 2012 Kuneva ran as an independent presidential candidate, getting 14% of the votes. Later that year she founded a political party
Bulgaria for Citizens movement Bulgaria for Citizens Movement () is a political party in Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube rive ...
, which in 2014 secured places in the parliaments as part of the bigger right centrist alliance Reformist bloc. Kuneva was elected member of parliament and then became a Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for foreign affairs, regugee agency and data protectio unit. She also had an oversight of the human trafficking commission and the newly created anticorruoption body. In early 2016 Kuneva took over the Ministry of Education and Science in a time the education system in Bulgaria was going though an overreaching reform.


Council of Europe

In 2018 Kuneva was appointed head of the EU Delegation to the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
, where she collaborated to establish a common European stance in conjunction with the Council of Europe and optimal coordination between the two organizations. In 2024, Kuneva was her country’s candidate to succeed
Dunja Mijatović Dunja Mijatović ( sr-cyr, Дуња Мијатовић; is a Bosnian human rights expert and activist. An expert on media law and media regulation, she served from 2010 to 2017 as the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), and as ...
as the Council of Europe’s
Commissioner for Human Rights The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial non-judicial institution established in 1999 by the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the council's 46 ...
; in a vote by 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 of ...
, she ultimately lost against
Michael O'Flaherty Professor Michael O'Flaherty is the current Commissioner for Human Rights of Council of Europe. Also he was the Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), a member from 2004 to 2012 of the United Nations Human Rights Commi ...
.


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 decis ...
(ECFR), Member * Vick Foundation, Member of the Jury for the 2008 Bulgarian Novel of the Year


Political positions

In October 2013, Kuneva announced her opposition to the ban on land sale to foreigners that was voted by the Bulgarian Parliament. This closely matches the stand the European Commission has taken on the matter. In December 2013 she said that "she felt more pity than anger toward"
Plamen Oresharski Plamen Vasilev Oresharski (, born 21 February 1960) is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2013 to 2014. Affiliated with the Bulgarian Socialist Party, he previously served as Member of the National Assembly fr ...
because he is not the real decision maker in the Council of Ministers.


Personal life

Meglena Kuneva is married to financier Andrey Pramov, a son of the secretary of the Central Committee of the
Bulgarian Communist Party The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...
(1962–1978), and they have one son – Aleksandar. In addition to her native Bulgarian, she is fluent in English,
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
, and
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
. Kuneva's hobby is listening to
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
.


See also

*
Barroso Commission The Barroso Commission was the European Commission in office from 22 November 2004 until 31 October 2014. Its President of the European Commission, president was José Durão Barroso, who presided over 27 other commissioners (one from Member sta ...
*
Bulgarian membership of the European Union On 1 January 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became member states of the European Union (EU) in the fifth wave of EU enlargement. Bulgaria and Romania did not have a referendum related to European Union accession. Negotiations Romania was the ...


References


Bibliography

*


External links

*
Consumer Affairs
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuneva, Meglena 1957 births Bulgarian European commissioners Consumer rights activists Living people Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) People from Sofia Politicians from Sofia Sofia University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Women European commissioners Women government ministers of Bulgaria 21st-century Bulgarian women politicians 21st-century Bulgarian politicians