Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann
Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann born Kähn ( born January 23, 1955 in Berlin ) is a German politician (SPD until 2009 left ).
She was from 1999 to 2009 Member of the European Parliament and was from 2007 to 2009, Deputy Chairman of the Confederal Group of the Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE / NGL) in the European Parliament, and from 2004 to 2007 Vice- President of the European Parliament. She is a member of the Presidium of the European Union, Germany, and state chairman of the Europe Union Berlin.
Life and career
After graduation Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann began in 1973 a study of Japanese Studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin, where she graduated in 1979 with a diploma. After that, she spent 1980-1981 to study abroad at the Foreign University Osaka and Tokyo University and then worked as a research assistant at the Humboldt University in Berlin for the field of Japanese foreign policy and international relations in East Asia. In 1984 he was also her PhD ( thesis A) Dr. phil. with the work " Japan - China: The Evolution of Japanese China policy, in particular the years 1972-1982 ". From 1988 to 1990 she worked at the Institute for International Politics and Economics in Berlin.
Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann is married and has two children.
Party
In 1976, Sylvia -Yvonne Kaufmann, member of the SED. Since 1989/1990 she was a member of the PDS or the party DIE LINKE. From 1991 to 2002 she was a member of the party executive of the PDS and was responsible for peace, international and European policy. From 1993 to 2000 she was deputy party chairman.
In the European elections in 1994, 1999 and 2004 was Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann top candidate of the PDS.
In the vote for the federal list of the Left Party for the 2009 European election Kaufmann lost to Sabine Lösing and Ruth Firmenich elections for Rank 7 and 13 At the party her work has been partly clearly criticized by the delegates, partly due to its affirmation of the contents of planned EU constitution, which is rejected by the majority of party members and partly viewed as unconstitutional. On 14 May 2009 Kaufmann announced together with Franz Müntefering and Martin Schulz, at a press conference her conversion to the SPD. The reason for their change Kaufmann stated that she was so " completely failed ", give their old party a "clear pro- European profile " to. In the 2014 European elections occurs Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann as a candidate of the SPD on the list position 10.
Member of Parliament
From March to October 1990 was Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann at the People's Chamber of the GDR. As one of 144 deputies elected by the People's Chamber was on October 3, 1990 Member of the German Bundestag, where she was employed until the end of the legislature in December 1990.
From 1991 to 1994 Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann was first deputy with observer status in the European Parliament. From 1999 to 2009 she was a member of the European Parliament. She was there from 1999 to 2004 deputy chairman of the Confederal Group of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE / NGL) and spokesperson for the PDS delegation. After that she was from 2004 to 2007 Vice- President of the European Parliament. From 2007 to 2009 she was again deputy chairman of the GUE / NGL Group.
As an MEP she was a member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Member of the Intergroup " European Constitution " and was a member of the Delegation for relations with Japan.
Sylvia- Yvonne Kaufmann belonged in 2000 to the Convention on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and from 2002 to 2003 the EU Constitutional Convention.
Kaufmann was a member of the European Union Parliamentarians European Parliament since September 2009 and is chairman of Europa-Union Berlin from 6 December 2009 she is member of the board of the Federation.
Awards
On February 3, 2009 Kaufmann was awarded for her longstanding commitment to a peaceful, social and democratic Europe, the Federal Cross of Merit.
Publications
- The Euro trap. Plea for a social Europe. Dietz, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-320-01977-5.
- (Ed.): make peace! With UN weapons? Dietz, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-320-01998-8.
- (Ed.): Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Members and observers of the Convention report. European Union -Verlag, Bonn 2001, ISBN 3-7713-0598-5.
- Jens Wolfram: The EU and its constitution. Left mistakes and popular misconceptions. Merus -Verlag, Hamburg 2007, ISBN 3-939519-55-3; 2nd revised and updated edition with a foreword by Daniel Cohn- Bendit ibid. 2008, ISBN 978-3-939519-55-3.