Mariya Gabriel
| Mariya Gabriel MEP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Bulgaria | |
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Assumed office 14 July 2009 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 May 1979 Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Political party | GERB |
Mariya Gabriel (Bulgarian: Мария Габриел) (born Мария Иванова Неделчева = Mariya Ivanova Nedelcheva, 20 May 1979 in Gotse Delchev) is a Bulgarian politician who was elected Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009 from the GERB.[1] Prior to her election in 2009, she was an academic at Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux.
Biography
Mariya Ivanova Gabriel, born 20 May 1979 in Gotse Delchev, is a Bulgarian politician. She was elected from the GERB list during the 2009 European elections. In the European Parliament she is a Member of the EPP Group (European People's Party) of which GERB is a member. On 19 January 2012 she was elected coordinator of the EPP Group for the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament. In October 2012 Mariya Gabriel was elected Vice President of the EPP Women. In June 2013 she received the MEP award in the category "Gender Equality". Under the recommendation of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice- President of the European Commission, Mariya Gabriel was appointed in November 2011 Chief of the EU Electoral Observation Mission for presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Education and Training
In 1997 Gabriel Mariya graduated from the Language High school "Dr Petar Beron" in Kyustendil. In 2001 she graduated in Bulgarian and French languages at the Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilandarski”. She continued her studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Bordeaux (France), majoring in International Relations, History of European Institutions, Political Sociology and Comparative Politics. She obtained in 2003 her Master's degree in "Comparative Politics and International Relations" from the Post-Graduate School of Political Science of Bordeaux (France).
Professional experience
From 2005 to 2008, Mariya Gabriel had been a temporary teaching and research assistant at the Institute of Political Studies in Bordeaux (France). She used to teach Decision Making Process of the European Union, Political Sociology and International Relations. She also participated in two international projects: the European EQUAL Programme 2004-2008 "Values and Economics - equality in professional activities and social economy" and the international research program "Parliamentary Representation at national and European levels" under the direction of Olivier Costa.
Responsibilities within the European Parliament
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development - AGRI
Since the beginning of her mandate, Mariya Gabriel has been actively working on issues related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). As part of her work, she defends the principles of a fair, flexible and simplified agricultural policy.
During the period 2011-2013, Mariya Gabriel organized a public debate "Agriculture and Politics – You are the link!" in a large number of cities in each region of Bulgaria. Discussions with farmers have contributed the development of a national position in the context of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy for the 2014-2020 programming period.
In her work as MEP Mariya Gabriel focuses on protecting the interests of Bulgarian beekeepers and the challenges the European beekeeping sector is facing.
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality - FEMM
Mariya Gabriel ensures the consistency of the EPP Group position regarding the different reports and opinions of the FEMM Committee and participates in the coordination of the group's position between the different parliamentary committees. As coordinator, she facilitates negotiations with other political groups to reach a majority and a common position on the reports of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. She also acts as spokesperson for the EPP Group on issues relating to this committee.
The main themes on which the FEMM committee focuses are: the fight against violence against women, economic independence of women, reducing the gender pay, the promotion of an increased participation of women in political and economic decision-making, the role of women in the field of peacekeeping, democratization and development.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs - LIBE
As member of this parliamentary committee Mariya Gabriel has focused her work on several priority areas: the EU visa policy, freedom of movement, migration and asylum policy, Schengen area. Strengthening the area of freedom, security and justice in the EU is a key priority in the coming years for European integration.
In particular, she was rapporteur for the amendment of the Regulation which establishes the list of third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the European Union and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement.
The LIBE committee also works on citizenship, transparency, data protection, the fight against discrimination, judicial and police cooperation.
The Danube Strategy
Mariya Gabriel has organized several conferences in Bulgaria and at the European Parliament on the Danube Strategy.
The Danube Strategy is of strategic importance for the EU, based on a bottom-up approach. It is a strategy for the Danube macro-region, which covers nine Member States (Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia) and 5 non-EU states (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova). The Strategy aims to establish better coordination and cooperation between countries and regions to address common challenges of transport infrastructure and communication, environmental protection, energy connections, security and economic development.
In 2012 Mariya Gabriel organized a public hearing on “The Danube Strategy – an opportunity to build the regions in Europe”, in partnership with the Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The objective is to encourage the direct participation of citizens in defining projects and in the implementation of better partnerships between communities and countries participating in the Danube Strategy.
EU foreign policy
ACP- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP-EU JPA brings together members of the EP delegation to the ACP countries, and representatives of the parliaments of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States. This Assembly is part of the revised Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the ACP States.
Mariya Gabriel is a member of the Committee on Political Affairs of the Assembly. She works mainly on the following themes: strengthening the rule of law and democracy, development issues, the EU-Africa relations, the future of ACP-EU cooperation, relations between the African Union, European Union and regional institutions for the promotion of peace and democracy in the ACP countries, and on the situation of women and children.
Election observation missions of the EU
EU Election Observation Missions (EOM) are of a particular interest for Mariya Gabriel, insofar as they constitute one of the main tools for promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in different parts of the world. They also strengthen the other main objectives of the EU in foreign policy, in particular the consolidation of peace. Observation missions assess to what extent the elections are conducted in accordance with the international standards. The EU only sends observers to elections in a third country following a request by the national authorities of this country.
In 2011 M. Gabriel was appointed Head of the EU Election Observation Mission for the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was Head of the EP delegations within the EOM four times - in Tanzania, Sudan, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. She was also an EP observer in the context of five other missions: in Togo, Burundi, Haiti, Kyrgyzstan and Chad.
Extra- parliamentary activities
Most of Mariya Gabriel's extra-parliamentary activities are aimed at young people. The MEP offers initiatives to the youth on a regular basis, thanks to three European information centres in Bulgaria. These many activities aim at promoting the Bulgarian and European citizenship, to bring the European Parliament closer to the young citizens, especially with them to seek solutions to current challenges such as youth unemployment.
She created two platforms including online discussion for youth on "Culture, Youth and Regions: Lifestyle 2014-2020." She also organizes an annual student competition on European themes: essays, presentations or drawings for the younger ones.
In her European Information Centres in Bulgaria, she also offers young people the possibility to reflect on various topics present on the Bulgarian agenda and on the European agenda, through various activities: trainings, discussions, simulation games, as well as exhibitions for young people to understand what the EU membership has brought for Bulgaria and vice versa.
Mariya Gabriel also participated in numerous conferences at national and regional levels on the fight against youth unemployment, entrepreneurship, on training and career development, politics and citizenship.