Monika MacDonagh Pajerová
Encyclopedia
Monika MacDonagh-Pajerová is currently the chairperson of the pro-European organization ANO pro Evropu
(YES for Europe) and lecturer at NYU
in Prague. During the 1989 Velvet Revolution
in Czechoslovakia
, Pajerová served as the official spokesperson for University Strike Committee and was a founding member of the Civic Forum
. Before the Revolution she was editor of a student newspaper which promoted actions against the regime and an organizer of an influential debating forum. She was part of the small group of students which organized the event on November 17 which marked the beginning of the Revolution.
Following 1989 she was a diplomat, serving at different times in the Czechoslovak embassy in Paris, member of the Minister's private office and official spokesperson for the Ministry (Director of the Press Department). She spent four years as principal official responsible for cultural matters in the Council of Europe for four years. Subsequently she presented programmes on European affairs on Czech television and Czech radio.
During the 2003 Czech referendum on accession to the European Union she headed the principal Yes campaign.
Perceived as politically close to Václav Havel
, she is a regular critic of current Czech President Václav Klaus
, political corruption and cooperation with the unreformed Communist Party.
Born in January 1966 in Janov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic
), Děčín
district to photographer father Ota Pajer. She was awarded masters and doctoral degrees from the Charles University, Prague specializing in literature. She has edited and contributed to various books on art, the Velvet Revolution and Europe. In 2000 she received a national book prize for a work with Czech Artist Jiří Kolář
. Her sister, Kateřina Jacques
is a former deputy chairperson of the Green Party
and former member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament
.
She is married and has two children.
ANO pro Evropu
ANO pro Evropu is an NGO based in Prague, Czech Republic. ANO pro Evropu seeks to be broadly-based, and is nonpartisan and nonparticipitory in elections.- Goals and Initiatives :...
(YES for Europe) and lecturer at NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in Prague. During the 1989 Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Pajerová served as the official spokesperson for University Strike Committee and was a founding member of the Civic Forum
Civic Forum
The Civic Forum was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989...
. Before the Revolution she was editor of a student newspaper which promoted actions against the regime and an organizer of an influential debating forum. She was part of the small group of students which organized the event on November 17 which marked the beginning of the Revolution.
Following 1989 she was a diplomat, serving at different times in the Czechoslovak embassy in Paris, member of the Minister's private office and official spokesperson for the Ministry (Director of the Press Department). She spent four years as principal official responsible for cultural matters in the Council of Europe for four years. Subsequently she presented programmes on European affairs on Czech television and Czech radio.
During the 2003 Czech referendum on accession to the European Union she headed the principal Yes campaign.
Perceived as politically close to Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, she is a regular critic of current Czech President Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
, political corruption and cooperation with the unreformed Communist Party.
Born in January 1966 in Janov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
), Děčín
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...
district to photographer father Ota Pajer. She was awarded masters and doctoral degrees from the Charles University, Prague specializing in literature. She has edited and contributed to various books on art, the Velvet Revolution and Europe. In 2000 she received a national book prize for a work with Czech Artist Jiří Kolář
Jirí Kolár
Jiří Kolář was a Czech poet, writer, painter and translator. His work was divided between literary and visual art.- Life :Kolář came from a poor family of a baker and a seamstress...
. Her sister, Kateřina Jacques
Katerina Jacques
Kateřina Jacques is a Czech Green Party politician. She was elected to the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in the June 2006 election, representing the Prague electoral district...
is a former deputy chairperson of the Green Party
Green Party (Czech Republic)
The Green Party is a political party in the Czech Republic.The party was founded in February 1990 but for a long time it struggled to obtain significant influence in Czech politics. In the 2002 legislative election the party received 2.4% of the vote...
and former member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament
Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic
The Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Chamber of Deputies is situated in palaces in Malá Strana, Prague....
.
She is married and has two children.