Gunnar Hökmark
Encyclopedia
Anders Gunnar Hökmark is a Swedish
politician and Member of the European Parliament
for the Moderate Party
; part of the European People's Party
.
Hökmark is Vice Chairman of the EPP Group, the largest group in the European Parliament
with 265 members. He is the leader of the Swedish delegation to the EPP and active in the Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Committee of Industry, Energy and Research. He is a member of the Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis as well as the Special Committee on the Policy Challenges and Budgetary Resources for a Sustainable European Union after 2013.
Hökmark is the Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee and active in the Delegation to the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly. He is Chairman of the European Friends of Israel
and the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association
. Hökmark is a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group
and affiliated with the Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
. He co-sponsored the European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
.
in 1975 and joined Swedish Unilever 1976 as trainee and became product manager 1977. After his military education, parallel with his university studies, he became an officer in the Armoured Forces of the Swedish Army and is today a captain in the reserve.
In 1979 he was elected Chairman of the Moderate Youth League
, a position he held till 1984. From 1981 to 1983 he was Chairman of the Democratic Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC).
He was elected to the Swedish Parliament in 1982. He served in the Swedish Parliament from 1982 to 2004 as a representative for the Stockholm
region. In the Parliament he was the spokesman on privacy policy, energy policy and economic affairs, as well as President of the Standing Committee on Constitutional Affairs.
In 1986 he became managing director of Timbro Idea and developed the think tank division of Timbro
, which is today the leading think tank in Sweden. During the time at Timbro he headed the think tank and research activities and took also the initiative to and launched the City University in 1988.
In 1989 he started the so-called Monday movement, a popular movement supporting the independence of the Baltic States
that spread all over Sweden, which today is manifested by a monument at the main meeting place in Stockholm
, Norrmalmstorg
. He is awarded with Estonian
, Latvia
n and Lithuanian
orders.
He was the Secretary-General of the Moderate Party
between 1991 and 2000, during which time he led a number of election campaigns as well as the referendum campaign about Sweden's membership in the European Union
. He was responsible for the process of the Moderate Party joining the European People's Party
as full member.
In 2000 he left his office as Secretary General and took the initiative to establish the think-tank Institute of Reform, where he was managing director, with a clear agenda to prepare policies for a shift of government after the general elections 2002, policies that could not be launched as the Social Democrats stayed in power.
In 2002 he became President of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs in the Swedish Parliament, a position he held until being elected Member
of the European Parliament
in 2004.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
politician and Member of the European Parliament
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,...
for the Moderate Party
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
; part of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
.
Hökmark is Vice Chairman of the EPP Group, the largest group in 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...
with 265 members. He is the leader of the Swedish delegation to the EPP and active in the Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Committee of Industry, Energy and Research. He is a member of the Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis as well as the Special Committee on the Policy Challenges and Budgetary Resources for a Sustainable European Union after 2013.
Hökmark is the Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee and active in the Delegation to the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly. He is Chairman of the European Friends of Israel
European Friends of Israel
European Friends of Israel is a European lobby organization for Israel. It was established in September 2006, where 300 MEPs and national MPs took part in an opening ceremony...
and the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association
Sweden-Israel Friendship Association
The Sweden–Israel Friendship Association is a Swedish-based organization which describes its purpose as to "establish and increase knowledge about – and the understanding of – Israel in Sweden, and in different ways work to strengthen Swedish–Israeli bonds of friendship."The Sweden–Israel...
. Hökmark is a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group
Reconciliation of European Histories Group
The Reconciliation of European Histories Group is an informal all-party group in the European Parliament involved in promoting the Prague Process in all of Europe, aimed at coming to terms with the totalitarian past in many countries of Europe...
and affiliated with the Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
The Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism is a Sweden-based non-profit and non-governmental human rights organization, founded in 2008, with the stated purpose of "spreading essential information on the crimes of communism and to promote vigilance against all totalitarian...
. He co-sponsored the European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
The European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism was a resolution of the European Parliament adopted on 2 April 2009 by a vote of 533-44 with 33 abstentions, in which the European Parliament condemned totalitarian crimes and called for the recognition of...
.
Career and life
Gunnar Hökmark finished a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics at Lund universityLund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in 1975 and joined Swedish Unilever 1976 as trainee and became product manager 1977. After his military education, parallel with his university studies, he became an officer in the Armoured Forces of the Swedish Army and is today a captain in the reserve.
In 1979 he was elected Chairman of the Moderate Youth League
Moderate Youth League
The Moderate Youth League , officially known in English as the Swedish Young Conservatives, is the youth wing of the Swedish Moderate Party. It had 12 051 members in 2010...
, a position he held till 1984. From 1981 to 1983 he was Chairman of the Democratic Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC).
He was elected to the Swedish Parliament in 1982. He served in the Swedish Parliament from 1982 to 2004 as a representative for the Stockholm
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
region. In the Parliament he was the spokesman on privacy policy, energy policy and economic affairs, as well as President of the Standing Committee on Constitutional Affairs.
In 1986 he became managing director of Timbro Idea and developed the think tank division of Timbro
Timbro
Timbro is a libertarian, free market think tank and book publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden, that works to promote ideas, influence legislation and public opinion...
, which is today the leading think tank in Sweden. During the time at Timbro he headed the think tank and research activities and took also the initiative to and launched the City University in 1988.
In 1989 he started the so-called Monday movement, a popular movement supporting the independence of the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
that spread all over Sweden, which today is manifested by a monument at the main meeting place in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Norrmalmstorg
Norrmalmstorg
Norrmalmstorg is a square in central Stockholm. The square connects shopping streets Hamngatan and Biblioteksgatan and is the starting point for tram travellers with the Djurgården line...
. He is awarded with Estonian
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe* Estonians – people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n and Lithuanian
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
orders.
He was the Secretary-General of the Moderate Party
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
between 1991 and 2000, during which time he led a number of election campaigns as well as the referendum campaign about Sweden's membership in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He was responsible for the process of the Moderate Party joining the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
as full member.
In 2000 he left his office as Secretary General and took the initiative to establish the think-tank Institute of Reform, where he was managing director, with a clear agenda to prepare policies for a shift of government after the general elections 2002, policies that could not be launched as the Social Democrats stayed in power.
In 2002 he became President of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs in the Swedish Parliament, a position he held until being elected Member
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,...
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...
in 2004.