Dubravka Šuica

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Dubravka Šuica
Šuica in 2022
Vice-President of the European Commission
Assumed office
1 December 2019
PresidentUrsula von der Leyen
European Commissioner for Democracy and Demography
Assumed office
1 December 2019
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 July 2013 – 30 November 2019
Succeeded bySunčana Glavak
ConstituencyCroatia
Mayor of Dubrovnik
In office
October 2001 – June 2009
Preceded byVido Bogdanović
Succeeded byAndro Vlahušić
Member of the Sabor
In office
2 February 2000 – 22 December 2011
ConstituencyX electoral district
Personal details
Born
Dubravka Luetić

(1957-05-20) 20 May 1957 (age 66)
Dubrovnik, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Political party Croatian
Croatian Democratic Union
 EU
European People's Party
SpouseStijepo Šuica
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Zagreb

Dubravka Šuica (née Luetić; born 20 May 1957) is a Croatian politician of the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography since 2019. She previously served as a member of the European Parliament from 2013 to 2019.[1]

Biography[edit]

Šuica was born as Dubravka Luetić in a modest family in Dubrovnik, FPR Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia).[2] Her father used to make a living doing housework in Konavle, while her mother was a housekeeper.[3] She graduated from the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1981, majoring in English language and literature and German language.[4] She worked as a high school teacher, university lecturer and principal in Dubrovnik up until her election as mayor in 2001.[5]

Šuica became active in politics in 1990, joining the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) before the first democratic elections in Croatia. From 1998 till 2014, she served as head of the Dubrovnik branch of the party.[4]

In 2001, Šuica was elected as mayor of Dubrovnik, the first woman to serve in that post. She was re-elected in 2005 and served as mayor till 2009.[6]

She was elected as the member of Croatian Parliament three times, in the 2000, 2003 and 2007 parliamentary elections. She held several positions in Croatian Parliament Committees. She was Chairwoman of the Committee, Family, Youth and Sports (2000–2003) and also Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on European Affairs during Croatia's accession period (2007–2011).

In 2004, Dubravka Šuica was elected one of the vice-presidents of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. She was reelected to that position in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.

In May 2012, Dubravka Šuica was elected vice-president of the HDZ at the national level. She was also the president of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of HDZ.

In October 2012, she was elected vice-president of EPP Women and she still holds this position.[7]

Member of the European Parliament[edit]

In the 2013 European election, Dubravka Šuica was elected Member of the European Parliament. She was sworn in on 1 July 2013, after Croatia joined the European Union. She was re-elected MEP following the 2014 European election, placing 2nd on the HDZ list. She served as one of the deputy chairs of the EP's Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo (DSEE), as well as taking part in various committees such as ENVI, AFET where she served as Vice-President from 2016 to 2019, TRAN, FEMM and the Delegation for relations with the United States (D-US).[8]

Dubravka Šuica was re-elected MEP at the 2019 election, for the third consecutive time.[9]

In June 2019, she was elected as first Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament. From 2013 to 2019, she was also head of the Croatian EPP delegation in the Parliament.[7]

As an MEP, Šuica twice voted against EP resolutions on gender equality, as well as against on sanctions on Hungary and Poland over their judicial abuses at home. Her track record was raised in view of her appointment in the von der Leyen Commission.[3]

In August 2019, Dubravka Šuica was nominated as a candidate for European Commissioner from Croatia,[10] and on 10 July 2019 President-elect Ursula von der Leyen assigned her the role of Vice-President designate for Democracy and Demography. As of 1 December 2019, she is Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography.[7]

On 1 June 2022, Dubravka Šuica was elected as Vice-President of the European People's Party.[11]

European Commissioner[edit]

In August 2019, Dubravka Šuica was nominated as a candidate for European Commissioner from Croatia, and on 10 July 2019 President-elect Ursula von der Leyen assigned her the role of Vice-President designate for Democracy and Demography. As of 1 December 2019, she is Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography.

In April 2020 Šuica called the local Dubrovnik TV, in the programme Glas naroda (Voice of the people) to complain against a previous caller who mentioned the controversy about her income, but she did not detail which information she deemed incorrect. This behaviour was criticised as undue pressure on the media from a member of the European Commission.[12]

Personal wealth[edit]

Šuica's wealth amounts to over 5 million euro, according to her own declaration to the Croatian parliament. She owns three houses and two apartments in Croatia, a cottage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a yacht, and three cars. The origins of her wealth have been subject of controversy. While Šuica claims these derive from inheritance and from the lift savings of her husband Stijepo Šuica as a navy captain, journalists have contested this account as untenable. Šuica has not released documents to corroborate the origin of her personal wealth. The Croatian anticorruption inspectorate USKOK investigated Šuica's wealth but the outcome of the procedure has not been made public.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ European Commission
  2. ^ Ćimić, Ilko (12 September 2019). "Tko je Dubravka Šuica i kako se toliko obogatila?". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c EU Observer
  4. ^ a b "Dubravka Šuica" (PDF). europaparl.europa.eu. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Dubravka Suica". WorldMayor.com. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Dubravka Šuica – Vice President for Democracy and Demography, European Commission". athensdemocracyforum.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Dubravka Šuica". commissioners.ec.europa.eu. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  8. ^ European Parliament – Šuica
  9. ^ "Meet the commissioners". POLITICO. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Croatia nominates Dubravka Šuica as country's next EU Commissioner". The Parliament Magazine. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Šuica elected as vice-president of the European People's Party". The Voice of Croatia. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  12. ^ RTL

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Croatian European Commissioner
2019–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Mayor of Dubrovnik
2001–2009
Succeeded by