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Danuta Maria HubnerPolish politician, professor
Date of Birth: 08.04.1948
Country:  Poland |
Content:
Academic Background
Danuta Hübner is a Polish politician and professor of economics. In 1971, she obtained a master's degree in economics from the Warsaw School of Economics (then Central School of Planning and Statistics). She earned her doctorate in economics in 1974 and her habilitation degree in foreign economic relations in 1980.
Hübner conducted research as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California from 1988 to 1990. In 2005, she received a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Sussex.
Academic Career
Since 1971, Hübner has been a professor at the Warsaw School of Economics. She served as deputy director of the school's Research Institute for Developing Countries from 1981 to 1987. She has been on leave from her professorship since 1992.
From 1991 to 1994, Hübner held the post of deputy director of the Institute for Development and Strategic Studies in Warsaw.
Publishing
Hübner served as editor-in-chief of the Polish magazine "The Economist" from 1991 to 1997.
Political Career
Hübner was a member of the Polish United Workers' Party from 1970 to 1987. Since 1987, she has been non-partisan. In 1994, she served as an advisor on social affairs to Deputy Prime Minister Grzegorz Kolodko. From 1994 to 1996, she held the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.
In 1997, Hübner became chief of staff to President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, a post she held until 1998. Later that year, she became deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. From 2000 to 2001, she served as the commission's executive secretary and United Nations under-secretary-general.
From November 22, 2004 to July 4, 2009, Hübner was the European Commissioner for Regional Policy. She resigned from this position to become a member of the European Parliament as a representative of the Civic Platform party. In 2012, she was appointed to the International Honorary Council of the European Academy of Diplomacy.
Notable Statements
In July 2017, Hübner stated that the Brexit negotiations could not be selective, remarking that "it is important to understand what the UK wants." She expressed hope that the negotiations would be a "learning process" for the UK and that its positions would evolve. Hübner has also expressed "deep disappointment" with the UK's decision to leave the European Union and has said that there was "a lack of understanding of the consequences" of Brexit.
