Milan Zver
Encyclopedia
Milan Zver is a Slovenia
n politician
, sociologist and political scientist. He currently serves as vice-president of the Slovenian Democratic Party
. Between 2004 and 2008, he was Minister for Education and Sports in Janez Janša
's centre right government. In the European elections of 2009
, he received the highest number of preferential votes in Slovenia, and was subsequently elected to the European Parliament
.
He is a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group
.
, former Yugoslavia
, but spent most of his childhood in the village of Destrnik
in the eastern Slovenian region of Styria
. After finishing high school in Ptuj
, he enrolled to the University of Ljubljana
, where he studied sociology
and political science
at the Faculty of Social Sciences. He graduated in 1987 and continued his studies at the University of Graz
under the supervision of the scholar Horst Haselsteiner. He obtained his MA in 1990, but in 1992 he left the research work at the university and decided to undertake public service in Slovenia instead. A member of Slovenian Social Democratic Party since 1990, Zver served as advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister Jože Pučnik
and later to the Minister of Defence Janez Janša
. After the Social Democratic Party left Janez Drnovšek
's coalition government in 1994, Zver served as a secretary of the Municipal Council of Ljubljana
until 1999, and later as an advisor to the parliamentary group of the Slovenian Social Democratic Party (now known as the Slovenian Democratic Party) in the National Assembly of Slovenia
. From 2002 to 2004, he served as member of the Municipal Council of Ljubljana.
In 1998, Zver obtained his PhD
at the University of Ljubljana under the supervision of historian Janko Prunk
. The same year, he started teaching sociology at the University of Maribor
. He has written several articles and monographs in political analysis and history of political thought.
In the parliamentary elections of 2004
, Zver was elected to the Slovenian National Assembly. He left the Parliament shortly afterward in order to serve as Minister for Education and Sports in the centre-right
government led by Janez Janša
. Until 2007, he also served as the chairman of the commission for the improvement of the conditions of the Roma community in Slovenia.
As the Minister of Sports, he attended the opening ceremony
of the 2008 Summer Olympics
as the representative for Slovenia.
in the 2008 parliamentary elections
, Zver was replaced by Igor Lukšič
as Minister of Education of Sports.
In 2009, he was chosen to head the Slovenian Democratic Party's list of candidates to the European Parliament
. The list obtained the highest procentage of votes in Slovenia, while Zver received the highest number of preferential votes in the country, resulting in the election to the European Parliament
.
Zver has been member of several executive bodies of the Slovenian Democratic Party
(SDS) since 1992, at first as an adviser and subsequently as a member. He is currently vice president of the party. He has also been active on the international political scene, mostly within the European People's Party
and in conservative think tank
s such as the International Republican Institute
and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
.
He is a signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
.
, German
and Serbo-Croatian
. He was married twice. His current wife is the Slovenian historian Andreja Valič Zver.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, sociologist and political scientist. He currently serves as vice-president of the Slovenian Democratic Party
Slovenian Democratic Party
The Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party...
. Between 2004 and 2008, he was Minister for Education and Sports in Janez Janša
Janez Janša
Janez Janša is a Slovenian politician who was Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2004 to November 2008. He has also been President of the Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993...
's centre right government. In the European elections of 2009
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, he received the highest number of preferential votes in Slovenia, and was subsequently elected to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
He is a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group
Reconciliation of European Histories Group
The Reconciliation of European Histories Group is an informal all-party group in the European Parliament involved in promoting the Prague Process in all of Europe, aimed at coming to terms with the totalitarian past in many countries of Europe...
.
Life and career
Zver was born in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, but spent most of his childhood in the village of Destrnik
Destrnik
Destrnik is a settlement and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies in the Slovenske Gorice hills, to the north of Ptuj. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria. It is now included in the Drava statistical region....
in the eastern Slovenian region of Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
. After finishing high school in Ptuj
Ptuj
Ptuj is a city and one of 11 urban municipalities in Slovenia. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. The municipality is now included in the Podravje statistical region...
, he enrolled to the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
, where he studied sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the Faculty of Social Sciences. He graduated in 1987 and continued his studies at the University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
under the supervision of the scholar Horst Haselsteiner. He obtained his MA in 1990, but in 1992 he left the research work at the university and decided to undertake public service in Slovenia instead. A member of Slovenian Social Democratic Party since 1990, Zver served as advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister Jože Pučnik
Jože Pucnik
Jože Pučnik was a Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. During the Communist regime of Josip Broz Tito, Pučnik was one of the most outspoken Slovenian critics of dictatorship and lack of civil liberties in former Yugoslavia. He was imprisoned for a total of 7 years, and later...
and later to the Minister of Defence Janez Janša
Janez Janša
Janez Janša is a Slovenian politician who was Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2004 to November 2008. He has also been President of the Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993...
. After the Social Democratic Party left Janez Drnovšek
Janez Drnovšek
Janez Drnovšek was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Prime Minister of Slovenia and President of Slovenia . He was born in Celje, Slovenia, then the Socialist Republic of Slovenia...
's coalition government in 1994, Zver served as a secretary of the Municipal Council of Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
until 1999, and later as an advisor to the parliamentary group of the Slovenian Social Democratic Party (now known as the Slovenian Democratic Party) in the National Assembly of Slovenia
National Assembly (Slovenia)
The National Assembly is the general representative body of the Slovenian nation. According to the Constitution of Slovenia and the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, it is the major part of the distinctively incompletely bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Slovenia. It is unicameral...
. From 2002 to 2004, he served as member of the Municipal Council of Ljubljana.
In 1998, Zver obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Ljubljana under the supervision of historian Janko Prunk
Janko Prunk
Janko Prunk is a Slovenian historian of modern history. He has published articles and monographs on analytical politology, modern history, the genesis of modern political formations, and the history of social and political philosophy in Slovenia...
. The same year, he started teaching sociology at the University of Maribor
University of Maribor
The University of Maribor is the second university in Slovenia, established in 1975. It currently has 17 faculties.-History:The university's roots reach back to 1859, when a theological seminary was established with the encouragement of Maribor bishop and patriot Anton Martin Slomšek...
. He has written several articles and monographs in political analysis and history of political thought.
In the parliamentary elections of 2004
Slovenian parliamentary election, 2004
-Delegation of Socialni demokrati [United List of Social Democrats]:-Delegation of Liberalna demokracija Slovenije [Liberal Democracy of Slovenia]:-Delegation of Nova Slovenija [New Slovenia]:...
, Zver was elected to the Slovenian National Assembly. He left the Parliament shortly afterward in order to serve as Minister for Education and Sports in the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
government led by Janez Janša
Janez Janša
Janez Janša is a Slovenian politician who was Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2004 to November 2008. He has also been President of the Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993...
. Until 2007, he also served as the chairman of the commission for the improvement of the conditions of the Roma community in Slovenia.
As the Minister of Sports, he attended the opening ceremony
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture...
of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
as the representative for Slovenia.
Recent activities
After the victory of the left-wing coalition led by Borut PahorBorut Pahor
Borut Pahor is a Slovenian politician who has been Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2008. A longtime president of the Social Democrats party, Pahor served several terms as a member of the National Assembly and was its chairman from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Pahor was elected as member of the European...
in the 2008 parliamentary elections
Slovenian parliamentary election, 2008
Parliamentary elections for the 90 deputies to the National Assembly of Slovenia were held on 21 September 2008. 17 parties filed to run in the election, including all nine parliamentary parties...
, Zver was replaced by Igor Lukšič
Igor Lukšič
Igor Lukšič is a Slovene politologist and politician.Lukšič obtained his PhD at the University of Ljubljana in 1993. He started his academic career as a Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana in 1986...
as Minister of Education of Sports.
In 2009, he was chosen to head the Slovenian Democratic Party's list of candidates to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The list obtained the highest procentage of votes in Slovenia, while Zver received the highest number of preferential votes in the country, resulting in the election to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Zver has been member of several executive bodies of the Slovenian Democratic Party
Slovenian Democratic Party
The Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party...
(SDS) since 1992, at first as an adviser and subsequently as a member. He is currently vice president of the party. He has also been active on the international political scene, mostly within the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
and in conservative think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
s such as the International Republican Institute
International Republican Institute
Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute is an organization, funded by the United States government, that conducts international political programs, sometimes labeled 'democratization programs'....
and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union . The foundation's headquarters are located in Saint Augustine and Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries...
.
He is a signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism , which was signed on 3 June 2008, was a declaration signed by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, including past signatories of Charter 77 such as Václav Havel, which called for condemnation of and...
.
Private life
Zver is married and has two daughters. His daughter Manca Zver is a famous model and TV host. Zver is also an amateur football player. Besides Slovene, he is fluent in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
. He was married twice. His current wife is the Slovenian historian Andreja Valič Zver.
Selected bibliography
- Koncepcija demokracije pri Slovenskih socialistih med obema vojnama ("Concepts of Democracy among Slovenian Socialists in the Interwar Period"; Ljubljana, 1988);
- In dan bo sijal: politične razprave ("And the Day Shall Shine: Political Essays; Ljubljana, 1996);
- Sto let socialdemokracije na Slovenskem ("Hundred Years of Social Democracy in the Slovene Lands"; Ljubljana, 1996);
- Demokracija v klasični slovenski politični misli ("The Notion of Democracy in the Classical Slovenian Political Thought; Ljubljana, 2002);
- Pučnikova znanstvena in politična misel ("The Scientific and Political Thought of Jože PučnikJože PucnikJože Pučnik was a Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. During the Communist regime of Josip Broz Tito, Pučnik was one of the most outspoken Slovenian critics of dictatorship and lack of civil liberties in former Yugoslavia. He was imprisoned for a total of 7 years, and later...
", editor; Ljubljana, 2004).