Róża Thun
Encyclopedia
Róża Maria Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein (née
Woźniakowska, born 13 April 1954), usually shortened to Róża Thun, is a European Parliament Member (MEP) from Poland
. A member of the Civic Platform
, she started her term in 2009. Róża Thun was a involved in two anti-communist organizations (the Student Committee of Solidarity and the Workers' Defence Committee
) in the People's Republic of Poland
. After the fall of Communism
, she was the chairwoman of the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation, a non-governmental organization
promoting European integration
. Thun was also the head of the European Commission
representation to Poland between 2005 and 2009.
, Poland
. Her father, Jacek Woźniakowski, was a professor at the Catholic University of Lublin
(he also served as the mayor of Kraków
between 1990 and 1991). Her mother was a biologist specializing in bat
s.
with a master's degree
in English philology
. She became a member, and later spokesperson, of the of Student Committee of Solidarity in Kraków. Between 1977 and 1980, she was also associated with the Workers' Defence Committee
(an organization aiding political prisoners and their families).
promoting European integration
. From 1998 to 2000, she was a member of the Warsaw City Council
. Between 2005 to 2009, Thun was the head of the European Commission
representation to Poland.
. She gathered some 150,000 votes in the Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie constituency
. Although Thun ran from the Civic Platform
list, she only joined the party after the elections.
As a MEP, Thun is a member of the committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the delegation for relations with Israel
and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
.
On 15 September, 2010 Thun supported the new initiative Spinelli Group
formed in the European Parliament, which was founded to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union (EU). Other prominent supporters are: Jacques Delors, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Guy Verhofstadt, Andrew Duff, Elmar Brok.
, a Polish MEP of the Law and Justice
party, wrote a blog
entry, describing Thun's "troubles" with the Polish National Electoral Commission. According to Czarnecki, the Civic Platform wanted to register its candidate under the name "Róża just Thun", but the Commission refused, stating that according to the law, the candidates must appear under their full names on the ballots. "And so, the voters will see Róża Maria Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein in her full grace", Czarnecki wrote. He later added that "a Gräfin with a German-sounding name might do harm to the Civic Platform".
On 20 May 2009, it was revealed that Czarnecki himself will appear on the ballots not under the name Ryszard Henryk, but as Richard Henry, as he was born in the United Kingdom
. Czarnecki stated that his situation in different, as he didn't choose his names, while Thun chose her surname by marrying her husband. Róża Thun responded that she did it out of love, adding "I pity Richard Henry Czarnecki".
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Woźniakowska, born 13 April 1954), usually shortened to Róża Thun, is a European Parliament Member (MEP) from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. A member of the Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
, she started her term in 2009. Róża Thun was a involved in two anti-communist organizations (the Student Committee of Solidarity and the Workers' Defence Committee
Workers' Defence Committee
The Workers’ Defense Committee was a Polish civil society group that emerged under communist rule to give aid to prisoners & their families after the June 1976 protests & government crackdown...
) in the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. After the fall of Communism
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
, she was the chairwoman of the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation, a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
promoting European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
. Thun was also the head of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
representation to Poland between 2005 and 2009.
Early life
Róża Woźniakowska was born on 13 April 1954 in KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. Her father, Jacek Woźniakowski, was a professor at the Catholic University of Lublin
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin is located in Lublin, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students...
(he also served as the mayor of Kraków
Local government in Kraków
Each president of the city of Kraków fulfils his duties with the help of the City Council, city managers and the city inspectors...
between 1990 and 1991). Her mother was a biologist specializing in bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s.
Marriage and children
In 1981, she married Franz Graf von Thun und Hohenstein, who is a count of Bohemian and Austrian nobility. Upon marriage she received her last name "Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein", whereby the German word Gräfin means "countess". They have four children together: son Christoph and daughters Marynia, Sophie and Jadwiga.Before the fall of communism in Poland
In 1979, Woźniakowska graduated from the Jagiellonian UniversityJagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English philology
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
. She became a member, and later spokesperson, of the of Student Committee of Solidarity in Kraków. Between 1977 and 1980, she was also associated with the Workers' Defence Committee
Workers' Defence Committee
The Workers’ Defense Committee was a Polish civil society group that emerged under communist rule to give aid to prisoners & their families after the June 1976 protests & government crackdown...
(an organization aiding political prisoners and their families).
After 1989
Between 1992 and 2005, Thun was the general director and chairwoman of the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation , a non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
promoting European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
. From 1998 to 2000, she was a member of the Warsaw City Council
Warsaw City Council
Warsaw City Council is a unicameral governing body of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland.The council was first created following the location of Warsaw under the terms of the Magdeburg Law in the Middle Ages. The modern council is regulated by the Warsaw Act of 2002. It consists of 60...
. Between 2005 to 2009, Thun was the head of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
representation to Poland.
European Parliament
Thun became a European Parliament Member (MEP) following the elections of 2009European Parliament election, 2009 (Poland)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Poland was the election of the delegation from Poland to the European Parliament in 2009 which took place on 7 June 2009. On 13 February the Sejm accepted a proposal for an amendment to the electoral court act to allow voting for the European Parliament...
. She gathered some 150,000 votes in the Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie constituency
Lesser Poland and Swietokrzyskie (European Parliament constituency)
In European elections, Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.- Nomenclature :...
. Although Thun ran from the Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
list, she only joined the party after the elections.
As a MEP, Thun is a member of the committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the delegation for relations with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly , established in Naples on 3 December 2003 by decision of the Ministerial Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is the most recent institution of the Barcelona Process. The EMPA opened its proceedings in Vouliagmeni on 22 and 23 March 2004...
.
On 15 September, 2010 Thun supported the new initiative Spinelli Group
Spinelli Group
The Spinelli Group is a pro-European initiative that was founded with a view to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union , by creating a network of citizens, think tanks, NGOs, academics, writers and politicians who support the idea of a federal and united Europe...
formed in the European Parliament, which was founded to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union (EU). Other prominent supporters are: Jacques Delors, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Guy Verhofstadt, Andrew Duff, Elmar Brok.
Ryszard Czarnecki controversy
On 26 April 2009 – less than two months before the European elections – Ryszard CzarneckiRyszard Czarnecki
Richard Henry Czarnecki is a British-born Polish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament for the Lower Silesian and Opole constituency from Law and Justice...
, a Polish MEP of the Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
party, wrote a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
entry, describing Thun's "troubles" with the Polish National Electoral Commission. According to Czarnecki, the Civic Platform wanted to register its candidate under the name "Róża just Thun", but the Commission refused, stating that according to the law, the candidates must appear under their full names on the ballots. "And so, the voters will see Róża Maria Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein in her full grace", Czarnecki wrote. He later added that "a Gräfin with a German-sounding name might do harm to the Civic Platform".
On 20 May 2009, it was revealed that Czarnecki himself will appear on the ballots not under the name Ryszard Henryk, but as Richard Henry, as he was born in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Czarnecki stated that his situation in different, as he didn't choose his names, while Thun chose her surname by marrying her husband. Róża Thun responded that she did it out of love, adding "I pity Richard Henry Czarnecki".
External links
- Official website
- Polska Róża Europy – official FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
account