Siim Kallas

Siim Kallas
Siim Kallas in 2010.
European Commissioner for Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Antonio Tajani
European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud
In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Neil Kinnock (Administrative Reform)
Succeeded by	Maroš Šefčovič (Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration) Algirdas Šemeta (Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud)
European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
In office 1 May 2004 – 22 November 2004 Serving with Joaquín Almunia
President	Romano Prodi
Preceded by	Pedro Solbes
Succeeded by	Joaquín Almunia
Prime Minister of Estonia
In office 28 January 2002 – 10 April 2003
President	Arnold Rüütel
Preceded by	Mart Laar
Succeeded by	Juhan Parts
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 9 November 1995 – 21 November 1996
Prime Minister	Tiit Vähi
Preceded by	Riivo Sinijärv
Succeeded by	Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Personal details
Born	2 October 1948 (1948-10-02) Tallinn, Estonia
Political party	Reform Party (1994–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party (Before 1994)
Alma mater	University of Tartu

Siim Kallas (born 2 October 1948 in Tallinn) is an Estonian politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Transport. He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission. He has been nominated as commissioner for Transport and vice-president in the second Barroso Commission.

Kallas has been Prime Minister of Estonia, Estonian Minister of Finance, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and member of the Riigikogu. Kallas is a member and former leader of the free-market liberal Estonian Reform Party. Kallas was a vice-president of Liberal International. He was previously a high-ranking member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Education

• 1967–1972 Budget and Finance, University of Tartu, M.Sc.
• 1968–1972 The military department of the University of Tartu, Lieutenant
• 1972–1975 Economics of environmental protection, University of Tartu, PhD

Career

• 1975–1979: Specialist at the Finance Ministry of the Estonian SSR
• 1979–1986: Chairman of the Central Authority of the Savings Banks
• 1986–1989: Deputy chief editor of the Communist Party newspaper Rahva Hääl
• 1989–1991: Chairman of the Central Union of the Estonian Trade Unions
• 1989–1991: Member of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union
• 1991–1995: President of the Bank of Estonia
• 1995–2004: Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia
• 1995–1996: Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1996  : Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
• 1999–2002: Minister of Finance
• 2002–2003: Prime minister
• 2004–2004: EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, serving with Joaquín Almunia
• 2004–2010: EU Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud and Vice-president of the Commission
• 2010–  : EU Commissioner for Transport and Vice-president of the Commission

Personal life

Language skills: Active: Estonian (mother tongue), English (primary working language), Finnish, Russian, German. Passive: French. Married to doctor Kristi Kallas; one son and one daughter Kaja, who is a member of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The ancestors of Siim Kallas were of Estonian and Baltic German origin. Kallas has been an active participant in the restoration of Estonian statehood.

References

• KALLAS Siim International Who's Who. accessed 4 September 2006.

European Parliament Answers to Commissioner Designate M. Kallas

External link and sources

Media related to Siim Kallas at Wikimedia Commons

• Siim Kallas, Official Media Gallery
• Official website

Political offices
Preceded by Rein Otsason	Chairman of the Bank of Estonia 1991–1995	Succeeded by Vahur Kraft
Preceded by Riivo Sinijärv	Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1995–1996	Succeeded by Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Preceded by Niels Helveg Petersen	Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe 1996	Succeeded by Tarja Halonen
Preceded by Mart Opmann	Estonian Minister of Finance 1999–2002	Succeeded by Harri Õunapuu
Preceded by Mart Laar	Prime Minister of Estonia 2002–2003	Succeeded by Juhan Parts
New office	Estonian European Commissioner 2004–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Pedro Solbes	European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs 2004 Served alongside: Joaquín Almunia	Succeeded by Joaquín Almunia
Preceded by Neil Kinnock as European Commissioner for Administrative Reform	European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud 2004–2010	Succeeded by Maroš Šefčovič as European Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration
		Succeeded by Algirdas Šemeta as European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud
Preceded by Antonio Tajani	European Commissioner for Transport 2010–present	Incumbent