Hannes Swoboda
| Hannes Swoboda | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | |
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In office 17 January 2012 – 18 June 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Martin Schulz |
| Succeeded by | Martin Schulz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
10 November 1946 Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Website | Official website |
Hannes Swoboda (born 10 November 1946 in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg) is an Austrian social democratic politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1996. Within the Parliament, he represents the Social Democratic Party of Austria and from January 2012 to June 2014, he was also the President of the group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.
After studying law and economics at the University of Vienna, Swoboda worked in the Vienna Chamber of Labour (1971–86) and was director of the department for urban policies and housing policy. Swoboda also held a number of different functions within the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). From 1983, he was a member of the municipal council and member of the city council of Vienna. In 1988 he became municipal councillor, regional minister, responsible for urban development, planning, transport and external relations. Swoboda is a member of the federal party executive committee of the SPÖ and the Viennese party executive committee. He is also a member of the Parliamentarian Working Group of the Advisory Board of "A Soul for Europe", an initiative that is building an international network with bases in Amsterdam, Berlin, Belgrade, Brussels, Porto and Tbilisi. Hannes Swoboda supported the European cause by signing the Spinelli Group Manifesto. In the European Parliament he is Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Rapporteur for Russia), Substitute Member in the Committee on Energy, Research and Industrial Policies, Member of the Delegation for the Relations to the United States of America, Member of the Delegation to the Parliamentary Cooperation Committees in Central Asia.
Since 1997, Swoboda has been the vice-president of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with south-east Europe. Much of his parliamentary work is focused on the Balkans - he is chairman of the Parliamentarian Working Group on Western Balkans -, the Middle East, Turkey and the Maghreb. He was rapporteur for the Accession of Croatia to the European Union. In December 2011 he recommended Croatia's accession to the European Parliament which voted in favor with a great majority. Besides the above-mentioned, Swoboda focuses in his work in the Committee of Foreign Affairs on Central Asia and Russia.
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