National EUSTORY Patrons
Several national history competitions are conducted under the auspices of prominent political representatives:
Bulgaria
Daniel Vassilev Valtchev
(Photo: Ministry of Education
and Science, Bulgaria)
Daniel Vassilev Valtchev (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science)
Daniel Valtchev was born on August 10, 1962 in Burgas, Bulgaria. As a member of the 39th National Assembly, Mr. Valtchev was appointed chairperson of the European Integration Standing Committee and member of the Legal Affairs Committee. He co-chaired the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee and represented the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria at the Convention for the Future of Europe which prepared the draft of the European Constitution (March 2002 - July 2003).
Czech Republic
Rudolf Zahradník (Photo:
Archiv odboru mediální
komunikace AV CR)
Rudolf Zahradník (Honorary Chairman of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Rudolf Zahradník was born on October 20, 1928 in Bratislava, Slovakia. He graduated from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague. From 1993-2001 he was chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, from 1994-1997 of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic (Učená společnost). He received honorary doctorates from the Technische Universität Dresden, the University of Fribourg, the Technical University of Pardubice and the Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Denmark
Bertel Haarder
(Photo: The Ministry of
Education, Denmark)
Bertel Haarder (Minister of Education and Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs)
Bertel Haarder was born on September 7, 1944 in Rønshoved, Denmark. He graduated in political sciences at Århus in 1970. He is currently the Minister of Education and the Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs of Denmark. From 2001-2005 he was Minister for Refugees, Immigrants and Integration. From 1982-1993 he was Education Minister. From 1987-1993 he was also the Minister for Science, Technology and Progress. Bertel Haarder was a Member of the European Parliament from 1994-2001 and Member of the Danish Parliament from 1975-1999.
Estonia
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves (President of the Republic of Estonia)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves was born on December 26, 1953 in Stockholm, Sweden. He graduated in psychology at Pennsylvania University in 1978. He was elected President of the Republic of Estonia in 2006. He started his political career as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia from 1996-1998. He resumed office in the years 1999-2002. From 2002-2004 Toomas Hendrik Ilves was Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia, from 2004-2006 he was elected Member of the European Parliament.
Germany
Joachim Gauck
(Photo: Bundespräsidialamt)
Joachim Gauck (President of the Federal Republic of Germany)
Joachim Gauck was born in Rostock, Germany, in 1940. He studied theology and from 1965 to 1990 he was in the service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg, working as a pastor for many years. He was among the initiators of the church and popular resistance to the communist regime in the GDR and led the weekly prayers for peace which gave rise to the protest demonstrations. In 1990, Joachim Gauck was elected chairman of the special committee overseeing the dissolution of the Ministry of State Security. From 1991 to 2000 he was the Federal Commissioner for the Files of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic.From 2001 to 2004, he was the German member of the Management Board of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in Vienna. In 2003, he became the Chairman of the Association “Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie” (Against Oblivion – For Democracy). In March 2012, he became the eleventh President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Latvia
Andris Bērziņš
(Photo: Chancery of the President)
Andris Bērziņš (President of Latvia)
Andris Bērziņš was born on December 10,1944 . In 1971 he graduated from the Riga Polytechnic Institute, Faculty of Radio Engineering; in 1988- University of Latvia, Faculty of Economics. He was President of the A/S Latvijas Unibanka, Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the A/S Latvenergo, President of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Member of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Chairman of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee. In 2011 he received the Order of the Three Stars (Trīs Zvaigžņu Ordenis),First Grade. Andris Bērziņš became President of Latvia in July 2011.
Romania
Traian Băsescu
Photo: Sorin Lupsa /
Presidential administration
Traian Băsescu (President of Romania)
Traian Băsescu was born on November 4, 1951 in Basarabi, Romania. Basescu graduated from the Naval Institute of Constanta in 1976. He was elected President of Romania in 2004. Prior to becoming President, he was the Mayor of Bucharest from 2000-2004. From 1991-1992 he held the position of Minister of Transport. In 1992, he was elected to the lower house of the Romanian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, and re-elected for the 1996-2000 term. Concurrently with his second term in Parliament, from November 1996 to June 2000, Basescu also served as Minister of Transport.
Slovak Republic
Peter Šťastný
(Photo: European Parliament)
Peter Šťastný (MEP)
Peter Šťastný was born on 18 September 1956 in Bratislava, Slovakia. He attended the University of Economics (Bratislava), Faculty of Commerce (1977-1980). He was a professional ice hockey player in the North American National Hockey League (NHL) (1980-1995). General Manager of the Slovak national ice hockey team (2002 - 2006). Ice hockey Hall of Fame (Toronto) (1998). International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame (2000). Holder of the Slovak decoration 'Rad Ludovíta Štúra, 1. triedy' (Order of Ludovít Štúr, First Class) (2003). Recipient of the highest IOC award "Olympic Order" (2000).Three times Gold metal holder of IIHF World Championship. Member of the World Congress of Slovaks (since 1983). Member of the Slovak Catholic Sokol (since 1992). Author of autobiography book "Hockey on two continents".
