Kinga Göncz

Kinga Göncz ( born November 8, 1947 in Budapest) is a Hungarian politician. From 6 September 2006 to 20 April 2009 she was Hungarian Foreign Minister. In the new government under Gordon Bajnai it was replaced on 20 April 2009 by Péter Balázs as Foreign Minister.

In the elections for the European Parliament in June 2009, it has a candidate No. 1 on the election list of the Socialist Party MSZP and was elected to the European Parliament.

Kinga Göncz is the daughter of former Hungarian President Árpád Göncz.

Life

Göncz is a doctor and psychotherapist. She completed her studies in 1972 at the Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest with a doctorate and worked until 1978 as a psychiatrist, then at the National Medical Institute. In 1978 she completed her specialist degree in psychiatry, 1982 in psychoanalysis. In the drafting of the first social policy education program she was instrumental in Hungary. In 1989, she was Assistant Professor at the Institute for Social Sciences at the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest. Since 1990, she led a psychotherapy practice. From 1994 to 2002 she headed the Institute "Partners Hungary", a US-based organization that deals with conflict management. In 2002 she was appointed to the Political State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Social and Family Affairs. On 15 June 1994 she was appointed Minister without portfolio, however, appointed with responsibility for minorities and equality, from October 9 with the full title " Minister for Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equality ". After a cabinet reform, she was appointed on 6 September 2006 Minister of Foreign Affairs. This office she had to April 2009, to hold office until the new government under Gordon Bajnai, held.

Göncz speaks fluent English and German. Since her appointment as Secretary of State she is regularly one of the first places in the popularity polls of public opinion research institutes and has also occasionally mentioned as a potential candidate to succeed the retiring Prime Minister Gyurcsány. However, she is not a member of the July 2008 alone ruling Socialist Party (MSZP ), but were delegated by this.

Kinga Göncz is married and the mother of two grown children and grandmother of a boy.

Activities as an MEP

As a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament Göncz is Deputy Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

She is a member of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. As Deputy Göncz is in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on Petitions and the delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN).