Carole Tongue

Carole Tongue, FRSA is a former Member of the European Parliament for London East, (1984-1999), and Deputy Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, (1989-1991).

In the European Parliament, she was EP spokesperson on the automobile industry 1989-1994 and spokesperson on public service broadcasting 1994 - 1999. 1994 - 1999 Tongue was coodinator for the Socialist Group on Culture, Media, Sport, Education and Youth. In 1997 she was elected as Chair of the EP all Party Intergroup on audiovisual and cinema. In 1997 Tony Blair appointed her to be liaison between the European Parliamentary Labour Party and Rt Hon Chris MP Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and other DCMS ministers.Her report on the Future of Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Age was adopted by the European Parliament in 1996. This led to the inclusion of a protocol on public service broadcasting being included in the 1997 EU Amsterdam Treaty.

Since leaving the Parliament, Tongue has served on the board of the London Film and Video Development Agency; served as President of the European Local Authority Network “Cities and Cinemas Europe”. Tongue also advises on audiovisual matters for a London-based film production company and to the CyberCinema Digital Film project based at Babelsberg Film Studios, Germany.

Since 2000 Tongue has been a Visiting Lecturer and in 2002 was made a Visiting Professor at the London Institute, now University of the Arts lecturing on UK/EU politics and EU audiovisual policy to BA/MA Journalism students.

In 2000 Tongue was appointed as am Associate Member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Medical Counciland served until 2006.

She served as the Chair from 2002 to 2004 of the London Regional Awards Committee of the Community Fund, distributing money raised by the UK National Lottery for good causes.

Tongue regularly speaks on broadcasting and film worldwide and is an author of articles and book chapters on European audiovisual policy, public service broadcasting, cultural policy and European affairs. She is a Member of the UNESCO (National Committee on Communication and Information) and is a Visiting Professor, University of the Arts.

In 1999, Tongue co-produced "The Fleeting Opera" on the River Thames with The Couper Collection and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

In 2005 Tongue was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Lincoln for services to public service in broadcasting and audiovisual sectors.

Tongue is also a trustee of Community Service Volunteers; Vice Chair of the Couper Collection; Patron of Engage (visual arts)|, (the [http://www.engage.org/ National Association for Gallery Education] ); and the Federal Trust. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

She is Chair of the Independent Film Parliament.In 2005 she co-founded and now co-directs the UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity. Membership: cultural producers, creators and cultural organisations) to take forward the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions adopted in 2005 and ratified by the UK government in 2007.

She works as an Associate Director of Sovereign Strategy, a European public affairs company and is a member of the CIPR.