Roberts Zīle

Roberts Zīle (born 20 June 1958) is a Latvian economist and politician and Vice President of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative right-wing populist political party in Latvia.

In the seventh term of the European Parliament, he works in the European Conservatives and Reformists group; he is a member of European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive and a member of the group Bureau.

He was formerly vice-president of the now defunct Union for a Europe of Nations group.

Zīle was born in Riga on 20 June 1958 and gained his first education in the Riga 25th high school.

After graduating in 1976, Zīle continued his education at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Economics, culminating in a baccalaureate degree in economics in 1981.

Zīle began his career in 1980 as editor of the publishing house "Avots".

From 1982 until 1986 Zīle was a research fellow, later appointed to head of unit, at the Latvian State Institute of Agrarian Economics.

In 1983, Zīle began part-time studies at the Latvian Institute of Agriculture and Agricultural Economics.

From 1989 to 1993, Zīle was editor of the economics section of the Citizens' Congress of the Republic of Latvia newspaper "Citizen" ("Pilsonis") and the LNNK newspaper "National Independence" ("Nacionālā Neatkarība").

Zīle began his political career in 1990, when he became member of the executive institution of the Latvian Citizens' Congress, the Committee of Latvia.

During the period between 1992 and 1994, Zīle interned at the Iowa State University in the US, at the Brandon University in Canada, and at the La Trobe University in Australia.

In 1994, Zīle ran in the Riga City Council elections from the "For Fatherland and Freedom" party's list.

After being a deputy in the Riga City Council, he became an assistant to Ilmārs Dāliņš, a member of the 5th Saeima (Parliament of Latvia).

In 1995, Zīle was himself elected in the 6th Saeima from the "For Fatherland and Freedom" list.

He worked there as a member of the European Affairs committee and the Budget and Finance committee.

Later, Zīle became chairman of the Budget and Finance committee.

Finally, in 1997 Zīle gained a doctorate degree of economics from the Latvian University of Agriculture.

In February 1997, Zīle became Minister of Finance of Latvia under Prime Minister Andris Šķēle.

The position was extended from July 1997 to November 1998 in the government of Guntars Krasts.

In October 1998, Zīle was elected to the 7th Saeima from the recently founded political Union's "For Fatherland and Freedom"/LNNK (TB/LNNK) list.

In the 7th Saeima, Zīle continued his work in the European Affairs committee and the Budget and Finance committee.

Zīle also served as the Minister of Special Affairs for cooperation with international financial institutions in the government of Vilis Krištopans from November 1998 to July 1999, in the government of Andris Šķēle from July 1999 to May 2000, and in the government of Andris Bērziņš from May 2000 to July 2002.

In January 2000, Zīle resigned his seat in the Saeima due to a new legislation which banned simultaneous holding of positions of a Minister and a Member of Saeima.

In 2002, Zīle was elected to the 8th Saeima from the TB/LNNK list.

In November 2002, Zīle resigned from the Parliament, because he was confirmed as a Minister of Transport in the government of Einars Repše.

Zīle held this position until March 2004.

For the sixth term of the European Parliament, Zīle ran in the 2004 European Parliament elections as representative of TB/LNNK.

As a result, he was elected in June 2004 and became Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

As MEP, Zīle joined the nationally conservative Union for Europe of the Nations political group, where he served as vice-president.

Zīle worked in the Transport and Tourism committee, the Industry, Research and Energy committee, as well as in the Delegation for Relations with Australia.

In July 2006, TB/LNNK nominated Zīle as a candidate for the position of Prime Minister.

In December 2006, he was elected chairman of TB/LNNK.

At the 2009 European Parliament elections, Zīle was the top candidate for the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK ticket.

He was elected and became MEP in June 2009.

Due to the departure of several parties, the Union for Europe of the Nations group was terminated.

Zīle thereafter joined the British Conservative party's initiated European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR), whose largest members include the British Conservative Party, the Czech Civic Democratic Party and the Polish Law and Justice party.

He is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive.

Zīle currently has been working in the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism committee, the Delegation for Relations with the People's Republic of China, and, as a substitute, in the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee.

In July 2011, upon the creation of the new association of political parties National Alliance "All for Latvia!" - "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK", Zīle became co-chairman of the association from the TB/LNNK side.

In August 2011, he resigned his post as co-chairman, declaring that he wishes to focus his attention on the events in the European Parliament and believes that the leaders of the National Alliance should be based in Latvia.