Viviane Reding

Infobox_Officeholder | name =Viviane Reding

---

order =European Commissioner for Information Society & Media
term_start =22 November, 2004
term_end =
predecessor =Erkki Liikanen and Ján Figeľ
successor =Incumbent
order2 =European Commissioner for Education and Culture
term_start2 =13 September, 1999
term_end2 =21 November, 2004
predecessor2 =Marcelino Oreja
successor2 =Dalia Grybauskaitė
birth_date =birth date and age|1951|04|27
birth_place =
profession =politician
party =Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei (EPP)|

Viviane Reding (born 27 April 1951 in Esch-sur-Alzette) is a Luxembourg politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Information Society and Media. Before starting a professional career as a journalist for the leading newspaper in Luxembourg, the "Luxemburger Wort", she obtained a doctorate in human sciences at the Sorbonne. From 1986 to 1998, she was President of the Luxembourg Union of Journalists.

She is married and has three children.

Political career

She started her political career in 1979, as a Member of the Luxembourg Parliament and held the following positions:
* President of social committee
* Member of the Office of the Chamber of Deputies
* Member of the Benelux Parliament
* Member of the North Atlantic Assembly (leader of Christian Democrat/Conservative group)

She then became leader of Luxembourg’s European People's Party delegation in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999 and she was a Member of the group's office.

Within the European Parliament, she has held positions as President of the Petitions Committee for about 3 years, and Vice-President of the Social Committee and the Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs Committee for about 2 years each.

From 1981 to 1999, she was Communal conciliator of the city of Esch, in which she was President of the Cultural Affairs Committee from 1992 to 1999.

From 1988 to 1993, she was national president of the Christian-Social Women and from 1995 to 1999 Vice-president of the Christian Social People's Party.

From 1999 to 2004, she was appointed Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth, Media and Sport and in2004 her responsibility changed to Information Society and Media. She is currently looking into the regualtion on prices of roaming within the EU.

She has earned the following prizes and distinctions:
* 1992 St George’s Cross from the Generalitat of Catalunya
* 2001 Gold Medal of the European Merit Foundation
* 2004 Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Hu Chen University of Taiwan
* 2004 Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Genoa
* 2004 Robert Schuman Medal
* 2004 Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Turin
* 2004 Prince of Asturias International Cooperation Prize
* 2007 Internet Villain award at the UK Internet Service Providers Association Awards

Political Controversy

In 2008, the EU Parliament voted to pass the "Telecom Package" which would render the entire markets of the region into one market, making it easier to sell internet and phone services in EU, with the goal of making the telecom prices cheaper for customers in EU. Among the many amendments to the proposal, amendment 138 was voted in favor of with 574 votes for, and 73 against. This particular amendment would require any termination of internet subscription to be heard in front of a judge. Viviane Reding said afterward that she hoped she could force the amendment of by the Commission, thus to some observers overruling the democratic process of the 647 cast votes. [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080928-eu-parliament-judges-must-be-involved-in-three-strikes-rules.html EU Parliament: Only judges can order 'Net disconnections]

External links

* [http://ec.europa.eu/comm/commission_barroso/reding/index_en.htm Official website]
* [http://europa.eu.int/comm/archives/commission_1999_2004/reding/index_en.htm Archived website as Commissioner for Culture and Education]

s-ttl|title=European Commissioner for Education and Culture
(with Dalia Grybauskaitė)
years=1999 – 2004
-s-ttl|title=European Commissioner for Information Society and Media
years=2004 – present
-s-ttl|title=Luxembourgian European Commissioner
years=1999 – present