Andris Piebalgs
| Andris Piebalgs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| European Commissioner for Development | |
|
In office 9 February 2010 – 1 November 2014 |
|
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Karel De Gucht (Development and Humanitarian Aid) |
| Succeeded by | Neven Mimica (International Cooperation and Development) |
| European Commissioner for Energy | |
|
In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 |
|
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Loyola de Palacio (Energy and Transport) |
| Succeeded by | Günther Oettinger |
| Leader of Unity | |
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Assumed office 4 June 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Solvita Āboltiņa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 September 1957 Valmiera, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union (now Latvia) |
| Political party |
Communist Party (Before 1991) Latvian Way (1993–2007) Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (2007–2011) Independent (2011–2016) Unity (2016–) |
| Alma mater | University of Latvia |
| Signature |  |
Andris Piebalgs (born September 17, 1957) is a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as European Commissioner for Development at the European Commission from 2010 until 2014. Between 2004 and 2009 he served as Commissioner for Energy. On 4 June 2016, Piebalgs was elected as the leader of the Unity party.
Andris Piebalgs was born on 17 September 1957 in Valmiera, Latvia. Piebalgs is a graduate in Physics from the University of Latvia. Andris Piebalgs is an experienced Latvian politician who occupied key positions in both national and European political fields. Earlier in his career, while Latvia was still part of the Soviet Union, Andris Piebalgs worked as a teacher and was the Headmaster of the 1st Secondary School of Valmiera (1980–1990). He also served as Director of the Department in the Ministry of Education in Latvia. He was a member of Communist Party of Soviet Union from 1979.
In 1988, Latvian People's Front, an organisation that united more than 200,000 people, was established. Supporters of Latvian self-determination gained victory in the March 1990 parliamentary election. It was the first time since the Soviet occupation that candidates from various political parties were allowed to take part. On 7 May 1990, Andris Piebalgs was appointed as Minister of Education in the new Government, and one year later, in August 1991, Latvia regained full independence. Andris Piebalgs' main task was then to put in place the first independent education system in Latvia.
In 1993, Andris Piebalgs won a seat in the Latvian Parliament, when the first elections after the restoration of independence were held according to the Latvian election law. He served as the Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee until 1994. At this time, he became Latvia's Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
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