Diana Wallis
Encyclopedia
Diana Paulette Wallis is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber
. Wallis was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and in 2009
.
at the University of London
, graduating as a BA
. She further studied at the University of Kent, where she obtained the degree
of Master of Arts
(MA). Before being elected to the European Parliament she practised as a solicitor
in London
and Hull
and was a Councillor
on Humberside
County Council and East Riding
Unitary Council.
Wallis was elected Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament
2000–2004 and then following the resignation of Chris Davies
MEP she was re-elected Leader in 2006 a post she held till January 2007. She then became the first British female of any political persuasion in twenty years to be elected to the post of Vice President of the European Parliament
, as well as being the first British Liberal Democrat to do so. As a member of Parliament's Bureau, her particular responsibility is for transparency and access to documents, the Arctic
and high north, Question Time (jointly with another Vice-President) and the Academy of European Law
.
Wallis is also a full member of the Petitions Committee
. As Rapporteur
to the Committee of Inquiry into the Equitable Life affair, she is author of a report which was approved by a large majority in the Parliament.
Wallis has a particular interest in issues of direct democracy
and in November 2002 she co-launched the Initiatives and Referendums Institute - Europe (IRI-Europe) report in the European Parliament. In March 2006, she hosted an IRI-Europe conference in Brussels to discuss different approaches across Europe towards the issue of direct democracy and in particular the campaign for introducing a citizens' initiative at the European level. She is a Board Member of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe. This is a thinktank which has a particular interest in all issues relating to direct democracy.
Until Spring 2007, she was Chairwoman of the delegation for relations with Switzerland
, Iceland
and Norway
and the European Economic Area (EEA)
Joint Parliamentary Committee and remains a full member of that Committee.
Wallis employs her husband Stewart Arnold as a Parliamentary Assistant. She is also a Member of the Governing Board of the Academy of European Law
, Trier (ERA); a Member of the Executive Board for the Institute for European Traffic Law; a founding Member of the Board of the European Initiatives and Referenums Institute (IRI); a Member of the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) Advisory Board; an Observer Member of the UK Law Society
's EU Committee, the President of the UK Institute of Translation & Interpreting
, the Honorary President of Haltemprice and Howden Liberal Democrat Party and the Honorary President of the Yorkshire and the Humber Branch of the European Movement
.
Throughout her time as an MEP, Wallis has authored 28 full reports excluding purely technical, and 16 opinions, asked 40 written and oral questions of the Commission and Council (during Parliament 2004-2009 term). She successfully passed two written declarations – one in 2007 on the European Emergency Number 1-1-2
(which achieved 530 MEP signatures, which is the record so far), and one in 2008 on Emergency cooperation in recovering missing children.
On 30 November 2011 Wallis announced her intention to stand for the position of President of the European Parliament
.
, and has been elected a Fellow
of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
(FCIL). She completed the London Marathon
on 26 April 2009 in a time of 5 hours 22 minutes, running in aid of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation
.
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
. Wallis was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and in 2009
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
.
Early career
Wallis read HistoryHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, graduating as a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
. She further studied at the University of Kent, where she obtained the degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
of Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(MA). Before being elected to the European Parliament she practised as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and was a Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
on Humberside
Humberside
Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
County Council and East Riding
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
Unitary Council.
Member of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
2000–2004 and then following the resignation of Chris Davies
Chris Davies
Christopher Graham Davies is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is a former Member of Parliament, and since 1999 he has been a Member of the European Parliament.- Biography :...
MEP she was re-elected Leader in 2006 a post she held till January 2007. She then became the first British female of any political persuasion in twenty years to be elected to the post of Vice President of the European Parliament
Vice President of the European Parliament
There are fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the President in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament.-Role:...
, as well as being the first British Liberal Democrat to do so. As a member of Parliament's Bureau, her particular responsibility is for transparency and access to documents, the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and high north, Question Time (jointly with another Vice-President) and the Academy of European Law
Academy of European Law
The Academy of European Law is an international centre for training and debate for lawyers...
.
Wallis is also a full member of the Petitions Committee
Committee on Petitions
The Committee on Petitions is a committee of the European Parliament.Petitions can also be brought forward by any EU citizen on a matter within the EU's sphere of activities. The Committee hears cases, some 1500 each year, sometimes presented by the citizen themselves at the Parliament...
. As Rapporteur
Rapporteur
Rapporteur is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation....
to the Committee of Inquiry into the Equitable Life affair, she is author of a report which was approved by a large majority in the Parliament.
Wallis has a particular interest in issues of direct democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and in November 2002 she co-launched the Initiatives and Referendums Institute - Europe (IRI-Europe) report in the European Parliament. In March 2006, she hosted an IRI-Europe conference in Brussels to discuss different approaches across Europe towards the issue of direct democracy and in particular the campaign for introducing a citizens' initiative at the European level. She is a Board Member of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe. This is a thinktank which has a particular interest in all issues relating to direct democracy.
Until Spring 2007, she was Chairwoman of the delegation for relations with Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and the European Economic Area (EEA)
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
Joint Parliamentary Committee and remains a full member of that Committee.
Wallis employs her husband Stewart Arnold as a Parliamentary Assistant. She is also a Member of the Governing Board of the Academy of European Law
Academy of European Law
The Academy of European Law is an international centre for training and debate for lawyers...
, Trier (ERA); a Member of the Executive Board for the Institute for European Traffic Law; a founding Member of the Board of the European Initiatives and Referenums Institute (IRI); a Member of the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) Advisory Board; an Observer Member of the UK Law Society
Law Society of England and Wales
The Law Society is the professional association that represents the solicitors' profession in England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors as well as serving as a sounding board for law reform. Members of the Society are often consulted when important...
's EU Committee, the President of the UK Institute of Translation & Interpreting
Institute of Translation & Interpreting
The Institute of Translation & Interpreting is a professional association representing translators and interpreters in the United Kingdom. ITI is affiliated with the International Federation of Translators .-History:...
, the Honorary President of Haltemprice and Howden Liberal Democrat Party and the Honorary President of the Yorkshire and the Humber Branch of the European Movement
European Movement
The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...
.
Throughout her time as an MEP, Wallis has authored 28 full reports excluding purely technical, and 16 opinions, asked 40 written and oral questions of the Commission and Council (during Parliament 2004-2009 term). She successfully passed two written declarations – one in 2007 on the European Emergency Number 1-1-2
1-1-2
112 is the principal emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from any telephone or any mobile phone in order to reach emergency services in the European Union , its candidates for accession, members of the EEA agreement, as well as several other countries in the world...
(which achieved 530 MEP signatures, which is the record so far), and one in 2008 on Emergency cooperation in recovering missing children.
On 30 November 2011 Wallis announced her intention to stand for the position of President of the European Parliament
President of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
.
Outside parliament
Wallis is a Vice President of equal rights charity ParityParity (charity)
Parity is a United Kingdom-based equal rights organisation, campaigning to promote and protect the equality of men and women under the law. Its main focus has been in the area of state pensions and associated benefits, and most of its notable successes have occurred in this field...
, and has been elected a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
Chartered Institute of Linguists
The Chartered Institute of Linguists, also known as the Institute of Linguists, IOL and IoL , is a British professional and learned society for education that was founded in 1910. It serves to promote proficiency in modern languages worldwide...
(FCIL). She completed the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
on 26 April 2009 in a time of 5 hours 22 minutes, running in aid of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation
World Endometriosis Research Foundation
The World Endometriosis Research Foundation is a UK-based global charity supporting research into Endometriosis. Its vision is "a day when no woman is crippled by endometriosis nor prevented by the disease from having children"....
.
External links
- Diana Wallis MEP official site
- Diana Wallis profile at the European Parliament
- Debrett's People of Today
- Diana Wallis profile on Micandidate
- Women in Decision-making: Interview with Diana Wallis