Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg


Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the DS & OP
with the Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union, part of the Socialist Group. Her family name is Ulatowska, which she has changed after marriage with her husband.

Education

Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg's current activities in the European Parliament include her position as a Quaestor to the European Parliament, as well as her membership in the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Committee on Petitions, and the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia. She is also a substitute for the Committee on Budgets, the Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Activism

Single Seat
Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg is a member of the Pro-Single Seat MEP Alliance in the European Parliament.
Along with other members of the Alliance, she has been active raising awareness to the high budgetary and environmental costs of maintaining three working places for the European Parliament.
In several publications and media appearances she pointed out to the infrastructure problems of the other two seats in Strasbourg and Luxembourg City, while emphasizing that Brussels should be the home of the European Parliament.
Gender issues
Female entrepreneurship, gender equality in boardrooms and equal representation of women in public life are several themes Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg has voiced her support to.
Moreover, Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg has taken an active position in the fight against domestic violence. On September 2012 she participated in the Peace One Day Campaign Global Coalition to reduce domestic violence.
ACTA
Geringer de Oedenberg has been critical about the overall necessity of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, as well as the way it has been negotiated.
In various articles and media appearances she pointed out to the lack of transparency in the negotiations process, as well as to the vague nature of the text which leaves space for misinterpretation. She also raised her concerns about the possible conflict between ACTA and EU law and possible impact of the agreement on EU citizens and private consumers.
After the rejection of ACTA by the European Parliament on 4 July 2012, Lidia Geringer posted on her blog "I welcome the result of the vote and personally think it truly represents the millions of people who took over the streets in the last months, protesting against the agreement".
Famagusta
In 2007 Geringer de Oedenberg visited Famagusta during a fact-finding delegation organized by the Committee on Petitions.
Since that visit she has been actively calling for the opening of the seized parts of Famagusta and return of Famagusta's lawful inhabitants. She was one of the authors of a Written Declaration on Famagusta which was adopted by the European Parliament on 14 February 2012.
Tibet
Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg is the Vice President of the European Parliament Intergroup on Tibet. She initiated and participated in various initiatives aiming to raise awareness to the issue of Tibet in the European Institutions.

Awards and Distinctions

See also: 2004 European Parliament election in Poland