Vilja Savisaar-Toomast is an Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 belonging to the Estonian Centre Party

Estonian Centre Party

The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....

, currently a 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,...

.

In 1992–1995, Vilja Laanaru was a member of Riigikogu

Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...

, belonging to the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia

Independent Royalist Party of Estonia

The Independent Royalist Party of Estonia was a frivolous political party in early post-Soviet Estonia.The party, widely considered a humorous expression of protest, was surprisingly successful in the first post-Soviet elections of Riigikogu, gaining 8 seats after spending a grand total of 1 kroon...

. In 1997, she joined the Estonian Centre Party

Estonian Centre Party

The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....

 and has several times been elected to Riigikogu as well as worked in Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 city government. In 2009, she became Member of the European Parliament after Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications...

 renounced his mandate to remain mayor of Tallinn.

She has been President of the Estonian Volleyball Federation since 2007 and since November 2008, in the Executive Committee of the Estonian Olympic Committee

Estonian Olympic Committee

The Estonian Olympic Committee is responsible for the Estonia's participation in the Olympic Games.-History:The Estonian Sports Federation decided to form Estonian Olympic Committee in the First Estonian Sport Congress on 30 November 1919, one and a half years after the proclamation of the...

 for the next 4 years.

MEP

• Member of the Transport and Tourism Committee
• Member to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia delegation
• Substitute in Regional Development Committee

Personal life

In 1996, Vilja Laanaru married Centre Party leader Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar

Edgar Savisaar , is an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the leader of the Centre Party. He has served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of Internal affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications...

; they divorced in 2009. They have one daughter. In August 2010, she married opera singer Taimo Toomast

Taimo Toomast

Taimo Toomast is an Estonian opera singer. He has performed in many European opera houses and has toured in the United States.-Education:...

 and changed her surname to Savisaar-Toomast.

Education

1985 Degree from the University of Tartu, psychologist and teacher
1988 Master's degree, Institute of General and Molecular Pathology, State University of Tartu

Career

• Psychologist, Mainor consultants (1988-1990)
• Assistant to the Prime Minister (1990-1992)
• Chief editor, Seitse Päeva magazine (1990-1994)
• Adviser to the Deputy Speaker of the Estonian Parliament (1992-1994)
• Chief editor, Elu Pilt magazine (1994-1997)
• Adviser to the Minister for Home Affairs (1995)
• Mayor of the Nõmme section of Tallinn (1999)
• Editor responsible for OÜ Pilt ja Sõna (1999-2002)
• Deputy mayor, Northern Tallinn Executive (2002), mayor of city section (2005-2007)
• Member of the Estonian Parliament (2003-2005 and since 2007).
• Member of the executive, Keskerakond Party.
• Member, Eestimaa Rahvarinde volikogu (1990), Tallinn City Council (1999-2002)
• Member of the Estonian Parliament during the 10th and 11th parliamentary terms.

• Chair, board of East Tallinn Central Hospital; chair, board of In Commune Bonum
• President, Estonian Volleyball Association;
• member, Executive Committee of the Estonian Olympic Committee
• President, Eastern European Zonal Association of the European Volleyball Federation

Published works

• Memoirs 'Valguses ja varjus' (Kohtla-Järve 1995)

• Collection 'Eestimaa Rahvarinne' (Tallinn 2002).

External links

• Vilja Savisaar-Toomast homepage http://www.viljasavisaar-toomast.ee/
• Vilja Savisaar's page on the website of the ALDE Group.