Siim Kallas
Siim Kallas [ si ː m kallas ] ( born October 2, 1948 in Tallinn, Estonia) is an Estonian politician. He was the 2002/ 03 Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia. He is currently Vice- President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport.
Training
Kallas, a trained economist, graduated in 1967 at the " 22 School " (high school ) in Tallinn and 1972 at the University of Tartu in the subject" Finance and Credit " (cum laude, ie with the highest award in Estonia ). 1972-1975 he was a candidate in the same subject and was awarded the degree from.
Political career in Estonia
Kallas worked in the Treasury of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (1975-1979), as Director of the Executive Board of the Estonian Savings Banks (1979-1986) and deputy editor of the party newspaper Rahva Hääl ( " voice of the people " ) ( 1986-1989). From 1989 to 1991 he was chairman of the Central Union of Trade Unions. While the Estonian autonomy aspirations Kallas became known as the protagonist of economic liberalization and especially the monetary and economic independence of Estonia by the Soviet Union.
From 1991 to 1995, Kallas, as a proven economic and financial expert, president of the Estonian National Bank Eesti Pank, whose influence is, however, limited because of the fixed tie of the Estonian kroon to the German mark, or later to the euro. Alongside Kallas remained at Tartu University worked, first as a lecturer at a quarter point and then as a visiting professor.
In 1994 he founded the liberal Estonian Reform Party (Estonian: Reformierakond ). He led the party from its foundation in 1994 until November 2004. Succeeded by Andrus Ansip. Due to the great success of the Reformierakond in the 1995 elections Kallas resigned from his post as chairman of the National Bank and was Foreign Minister ( 1995-1996) and Minister of Finance (1999-2002).
By another government Kallas in 2002 Prime Minister of Estonia (up to the 2003 elections ). Since then he was back-bencher in the Estonian Parliament.
Political career in the EU
On 1 May 2004 he was Commissioner, along with Joaquín Almunia, responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs. In the new Commission of 18 November 2004 to 9 February 2010 at the office, he was Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud. In 2005, he launched the Transparency Initiative, which resulted in the introduction of a voluntary EU transparency register 2008. For subsequent Commission, he was again nominated in November 2009 as Vice President and as Commissioner for Transport. A position he took up on February 10, 2010.
Others
In 2012, he appeared as a witness in the documentary "The Brussels Business - Who controls the European Union?" With. His comments were based on his experience as Vice President of the European Commission.