Ursula Stenzel

Ursula Stenzel

Ursula Stenzel (born September 22, 1945, Leopoldstadt, Vienna) is an Austrian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament until 2006. She is a member of the Austrian People's Party, a member of the bureau of the European People's Party, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

She is also chair of the delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula, a member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, and a substitute for the Committee on Budgetary Control and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.

Stenzel has been Bezirksvorsteherin of Innere Stadt since 2005.

Family

Stenzel was born in a Catholic family of Jewish descent. Her father was engineer of the North railway. Her mother was the daughter of a rabbi and chazzan in the Rotensterngasse, Leopoldstadt.

Career

• Studied journalism, political science and modern history
• Journalist and presenter at ORF (1972–1999)
• Member of the European Parliament
• Delegation member, EU-Poland Joint Parliamentary Committee (1997–2002)
• Delegation Chair, EU-Czech Republic Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002–2004)
• Schuman Prize

Controversy

Stenzel has been criticised by local and national artists for her conservative positions and most notably for her outspoken support of a closing hour in Vienna's 1'st district ("Innere Stadt"). This culminated in a satirical video which covered the Duck Sauce hit "Barbra Streisand". This video became known as Ursula Stressned (Ursula don't stress) and gained wide popularity within days and became a youtube fad.

External links

• European Parliament archive
• Declaration of financial interests (in German; PDF file)

See also: Stenzel