Roberts Zile
Encyclopedia
Dr. Roberts Zīle is a Latvia
n economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament
for the National Alliance
, a free market
national conservative
political party
in Latvia
and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists
. He was formerly vice-president of the now defunct Union for a Europe of Nations group.
in 1981, with a degree in economics. Later, in 1997, Zīle gained a PhD. in economics from the Latvian University of Agriculture.
. He was elected a Deputy of the Saeima
from Riga
in 1995. In the government of Guntars Krasts
, Zīle served as the Minister of Finance from 1997 to 1998. He served as the State Secretary for International Trade and Financial Institutions under Prime Ministers Vilis Krištopans
, Andris Šķēle
, and Andris Bērziņš. In the government of Einars Repše, he served as the Minister of Communications from 2002 to 2004. Zīle was the Prime Ministerial candidate of the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK) parties for the Latvian parliamentary election, 2006
. At the 2009 European Parliament elections
, Zīle was the top candidate for the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK ticket, and was elected. TB/LNNK had been in the Union for Europe of the Nations
political grouping the European Parliament, but as the group organically broke up, TB/LNNK joined the new European Conservatives and Reformists
(ECR), whose largest members include the British Conservative Party
, the Czech
Civic Democratic Party and the Polish
Law and Justice
party.
The creation of the ECR brought TB/LNNK and Zīle into the political media spotlight in Britain. Left-wing British politicians including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
, David Miliband
and Denis MacShane
criticised the activities and views of Zīle and his party. Miliband wrote of TB/LNNK "its members attend commemorations for the Waffen-SS". In a response, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague
demanded an apology to TB/LNNK and the Latvian government from Miliband, describing his remarks as recycling "false Soviet propaganda" and noting that "the majority of parties forming Latvia’s current Government including the Prime Minister’s party, have attended the commemoration of Latvians who fought in the Second World War". Zīle himself wrote a response in the left-wing Guardian
newspaper: "I am proud of the new European Conservatives and Reformists group we have formed in the European parliament. Its foundations are strong, and the more bile and mud thrown by the leftwing press and domestic opponents, the more united and resolved we have become".
Zīle sits on the Committee on Transport and Tourism
, and is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive
.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for the National Alliance
National Alliance (Latvia)
The National Alliance, officially the National Alliance "All For Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" , abbreviated to NA, is a right-wing political party in Latvia. With fourteen seats in the Saeima, the National Alliance is the fourth-largest party in the legislature...
, a free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
national conservative
National conservatism
National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
. He was formerly vice-president of the now defunct Union for a Europe of Nations group.
Background
Zīle was born in Riga and educated at the Riga 25th high school and graduated from the University of LatviaUniversity of Latvia
University of Latvia is a university located in Riga, Latvia. Being established in 1919, University of Latvia is the biggest university in the Baltic states.-History:...
in 1981, with a degree in economics. Later, in 1997, Zīle gained a PhD. in economics from the Latvian University of Agriculture.
Career
During the 1990s, Zīle was a member of the Riga City CouncilRiga City Council
Riga City Council is the government of Riga City, the capital of Latvia. It is located in the Riga Town Hall at the Town Hall Square in the very heart of Riga....
. He was elected a Deputy of the Saeima
Saeima
Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...
from Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1995. In the government of Guntars Krasts
Guntars Krasts
Guntars Krasts is a Latvian politician, former Prime Minister, and former Member of the European Parliament for the single Latvia constituency. Born in Riga, he was the Minister of Economy of Latvia from December 1995 to August 1997, Prime Minister of Latvia from August 1997 to November 1998, and...
, Zīle served as the Minister of Finance from 1997 to 1998. He served as the State Secretary for International Trade and Financial Institutions under Prime Ministers Vilis Krištopans
Vilis Krištopans
Vilis Krištopans is a Latvian politician. He served as Prime Minister of Latvia from November 26, 1998 to July 15, 1999.As a prime minister he was a member of the Latvian Way political party...
, Andris Šķēle
Andris Škele
Andris Šķēle is a Latvian politician and Business oligarch. He has served two terms as Prime Minister of Latvia from 21 December 1995 to 7 August 1997, and from 16 July 1999 to 5 May 2000....
, and Andris Bērziņš. In the government of Einars Repše, he served as the Minister of Communications from 2002 to 2004. Zīle was the Prime Ministerial candidate of the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK) parties for the Latvian parliamentary election, 2006
Latvian parliamentary election, 2006
The most recent elections for the 9th Saeima, the parliament of Latvia, were held on October 7, 2006. There were lists of candidates from 19 political parties...
. At the 2009 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 2009 (Latvia)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Latvia involved the election of the delegation from Latvia to the European Parliament in 2009. 17 lists containing a total of 185 candidates were registered for the election....
, Zīle was the top candidate for the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK ticket, and was elected. TB/LNNK had been in the Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their...
political grouping the European Parliament, but as the group organically broke up, TB/LNNK joined the new European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
(ECR), whose largest members include the British Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Civic Democratic Party and the Polish
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...
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.
The creation of the ECR brought TB/LNNK and Zīle into the political media spotlight in Britain. Left-wing British politicians including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
and Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced...
criticised the activities and views of Zīle and his party. Miliband wrote of TB/LNNK "its members attend commemorations for the Waffen-SS". In a response, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
demanded an apology to TB/LNNK and the Latvian government from Miliband, describing his remarks as recycling "false Soviet propaganda" and noting that "the majority of parties forming Latvia’s current Government including the Prime Minister’s party, have attended the commemoration of Latvians who fought in the Second World War". Zīle himself wrote a response in the left-wing Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper: "I am proud of the new European Conservatives and Reformists group we have formed in the European parliament. Its foundations are strong, and the more bile and mud thrown by the leftwing press and domestic opponents, the more united and resolved we have become".
Zīle sits on the Committee on Transport and Tourism
Committee on Transport and Tourism
The Committee on Transport and Tourism is a committee within the European Parliament.-External links:* Present Chairman is British Labour MEP Brian Simpson...
, and is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive
European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive comprises the governing council of the major conservative grouping in the European Parliament...
.