Sophie in 't Veld

Sophie in 't Veld
Personal details
Born Sophia Helena in 't Veld
(1963-09-13) 13 September 1963
Vollenhove, Netherlands
Political party Democrats 66
Alma mater Leiden University
Website Official website

Sophia Helena "Sophie" in 't Veld (born 13 September 1963) is a Dutch Member of the European Parliament for the social liberal party Democrats 66 as part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Early life and education

Sophia Helena in 't Veld was born on 13 September 1963 in Vollenhove, Netherlands.

From 1982 to 1991, she studied history at Leiden University. After completing a master’s degree in medieval studies, she worked as a freelance translator in French, English and Italian, then as a trainee in the economic affairs department in the Dutch city of Gouda.[1]

Career

Johanna Boogerd-Quaak, then a D66 MEP, hired in ’t Veld as an assistant in 1994.[2] From 1996 to 2004, she was the secretary general of the ELDR group in the Committee of the Regions.

Member of the European Parliament, 2004-present

In ’t Veld has been a Member of the European Parliament since 20 July 2004, for Democrats 66 as part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe parliamentary group. Her election in 2004 made her the sole D66 MEP until 2009.[3]

Between 2004 and 2009, in ’t Veld served on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. From 2009 to 2014, she was a member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs; between 2009 and 2014, she served as the committee’s deputy chairwoman.

In addition, in ’t Veld founded and currently chairs the European Parliament Platform for Secularism in Politics. She is also Chair of the European Parliament Working Group on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development since 2009 and Vice-President of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights.[4]

Political positions

Social policy

In ‘t Veld is an ardent opponent of the death penalty.[5]

In 2009, in ‘t Veld and her fellow MEP Sarah Ludford publicly supported an online petition calling for abortion to be made legal across all EU member states.[6]

In ‘t Veld also sought a condemnation of Pope Benedict XVI over his critical comments on gender theory.[7]

Following the 2014 elections, in 't Veld joined fellow MEPs Othmar Karas, Sven Giegold, Sylvie Goulard and Alessia Mosca in an open letter aimed at exerting pressure on the President of the European Commission and national government leaders during the nominations process to improve the gender balance in the composition of the European Commission.[8]

Privacy

In 2008, in 't Veld filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security, demanding to see what information it had collected on her from her PNR data; this move led to her being blacklisted.[9] A Washington judge ruled in 2009 that the United States government does not need to explain to in 't Veld why she must undergo additional security checks each time she visits the US.[10]

In July 2009, in ‘t Veld took to court again after unsuccessfully seeking access to documents about the legal basis of the EU’s agreement with the US about how information from the international bank transfer system Swift concerning EU citizens would be passed from the EU to the US. The EU’s General Court ruled in December 2009 that In ‘t Veld should be given access to parts of the documents, but the Council of Ministers heavily censored the files. In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that In ‘t Veld should be given access to documents prepared by the legal service of the Council.[11] Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer represented in 't Veld in her case.

Immigration

Speaking in the European Parliament on 29 April,in 't Veld criticized Nigel Farage's warning that Islamic extremists were likely to enter Europe among the influx of migrants and refugees from North Africa and the Middle East, suggesting that this scenario was as unlikely as an invasion by Martians.[12]

Recognition

In 't Veld is an Honorary Associate of the UK National Secular Society, which in 2011 awarded her with the Secularist of the Year prize.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Constant Brand (September 15, 2010), Liberal crusader European Voice.
  2. ↑ Constant Brand (September 15, 2010), Liberal crusader European Voice.
  3. ↑ Constant Brand (September 15, 2010), Liberal crusader European Voice.
  4. ↑ Members European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
  5. ↑ Jonathan Stearns (May 19, 2015), Orban’s Death-Penalty Remarks Criticized in EU Parliament Bloomberg Business.
  6. ↑ Constant Brand (September 15, 2010), Liberal crusader European Voice.
  7. ↑ "Dutch MEP seeks condemnation of Pope’s hatemongering". National Secular Society. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  8. ↑ Cynthia Kroet (June 26, 2014), A shortage of women round the Commission table European Voice.
  9. ↑ Constant Brand (September 15, 2010), Liberal crusader European Voice.
  10. ↑ "Dutch MEP a security risk?". Expatica Communications. 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  11. ↑ Cynthia Kroet (July 3, 2014), wins ECJ fight with Council on transparency European Voice.
  12. ↑ "Debates - Wednesday, 29 April 2015 - Report of the extraordinary European Council meeting (23 April 2015) - The latest tragedies in the Mediterranean and EU migration and asylum policies (debate):". European Parliament.
  13. ↑ "Dutch MEP wins Secularist of the Year". National Secular Society. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2011-03-19.

External links

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