Andris Piebalgs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andris Piebalgs
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Piebalgs in 2012
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| European Commissioner for Development | |
| In office 9 February 2010 – 1 November 2014 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Karel De Gucht (Development and Humanitarian Aid) |
| Succeeded by | Neven Mimica (International Cooperation and Development) |
| European Commissioner for Energy | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Loyola de Palacio (Energy and Transport) |
| Succeeded by | Günther Oettinger |
| Leader of Unity | |
| In office 4 June 2016 – 19 August 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Solvita Āboltiņa |
| Succeeded by | Arvils Ašeradens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 September 1957 Valmiera, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union (now Latvia) |
| Political party | Communist Party (Before 1991) Latvian Way (1993–2007) Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (2007–2011) Independent (2011–2016) Unity (2016–) |
| Alma mater | University of Latvia |
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Andris Piebalgs (born 17 September 1957) is a Latvian politician and diplomat. He is known for his important roles in both Latvian and European politics. He served as a European Commissioner twice. From 2010 to 2014, he was the European Commissioner for Development. Before that, from 2004 to 2009, he was the Commissioner for Energy. He also led the Unity political party in Latvia from 2016 to 2017.
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Career Journey
Andris Piebalgs was born in Valmiera, Latvia, on 17 September 1957. He studied Physics at the University of Latvia. Early in his career, when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union, he worked as a teacher. He was also the headmaster of the 1st Secondary School of Valmiera from 1980 to 1990. Later, he became a director in the Ministry of Education in Latvia.
Latvia's Independence and Government Roles
In 1988, the Latvian People's Front was formed. This group helped Latvia move towards self-determination. In March 1990, elections were held where different political parties could take part. Andris Piebalgs was appointed Minister of Education on 7 May 1990. One year later, in August 1991, Latvia became fully independent again. His main job was to create Latvia's first independent education system.
In 1993, Andris Piebalgs was elected to the Latvian Parliament. He led the budget and finance committee until 1994. In September 1994, he became Latvia's Minister of Finance and deputy prime minister.
Diplomatic Service
From 1995 to 2003, he worked as a diplomat for Latvia. He was the ambassador of Latvia in Estonia from 1995 to 1997. There, he helped solve a sea border issue between the two countries. In 1997, he became Latvia's Ambassador to the EU. In this role, he helped Latvia become a candidate country for the EU. He also led the talks that resulted in Latvia joining the EU in 2004.
From 2003 to 2004, he was a Deputy Secretary of State. He helped coordinate Latvia's position within the European Council. He also started a new policy for development assistance for Latvia. Besides his native Latvian, he speaks English, German, French, and Russian. He also knows some Estonian.
Working for Europe
Andris Piebalgs served as a European Commissioner in the European Commission. This is like being a minister for the whole European Union.
Commissioner for Energy (2004-2009)
From November 2004, he was the European Commissioner for Energy. He worked to make Europe's energy system better. His goals were to make it more competitive, sustainable, and secure. He helped make energy issues a main focus of EU policy. In 2007, The Economist magazine called him "Eurocrat of the Year." He also received awards for his work on energy policy and energy efficiency.
He also served as the Acting Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget twice in 2014. This happened when the main Commissioner was away for elections.
Becoming a Commissioner
When a person is chosen to be a European Commissioner, they have a special hearing. Members of the European Parliament ask them questions.
Energy Hearing
On 15 November 2004, when asked about energy, Piebalgs talked about protecting the environment. He wanted to limit how much energy was used. He also wanted to get energy from many different sources. He supported making nuclear energy safer and more open. He also wanted to improve energy efficiency in buildings. He promoted renewable energy sources and supported projects like ITER for fusion power.
Development Hearing
On 11 January 2010, he had his hearing for the Development Commissioner role. He told the European Parliament his main goals. These included reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals aimed to reduce poverty and improve health worldwide. He also wanted to make sure EU countries kept their promises to provide aid. He stressed that helping developing countries should be a main goal for the EU.
Other Activities
From 2012 to 2013, Piebalgs was part of a special group. This group was called the High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda. It was set up by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Their job was to plan global development goals for after 2015. These new goals became the Sustainable Development Goals.
He has also held other important positions:
- Friends of Europe, a member of the board of trustees
- Friends of the Global Fund, a member of the board
Personal life
Andris Piebalgs is married and has three children. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and going skiing.
See also
In Spanish: Andris Piebalgs para niños
