Željana Zovko

Željana Zovko (born 25 March 1970) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian Croatian diplomat and politician. Since 2016, she has been serving as a member of the European Parliament for Croatia.She is an international relations expert with a long-term rich experience in foreign affairs and diplomacy. Prior to her election to the European Parliament, she was an ambassador in France, Spain and Italy. During that time, she was also a Permanent Representative to UNESCO, WTO, IFAD, the FAO and the WFP. She received numerous awards for her work, notably for her contribution for inscribing the Old Bridge in Mostar on the World Heritage List. She was also awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit by King Juan Carlos I. Recently, Zovko received the award “Večernjakov pečat“in the category “One of Our Kind” for her active work and contribution to the well-being of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Željana Zovko
Member of the European Parliament for Croatia
Assumed office
21 November 2016
Preceded byDavor Ivo Stier
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador to Italy
In office
18 August 2015 – 21 November 2016
PresidencyDragan Čović, Mladen Ivanić and Bakir Izetbegović
Counsilor to Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
21 January 2012 – 31 March 2015
Prime MinisterVjekoslav Bevanda
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador to Spain
In office
2008 – 1 December 2011
PresidencyBakir Izetbegović, Željko Komšić and Nebojša Radmanović
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador to France
In office
26 April 2004 – 2008
PresidencyDragan Čović, Borislav Paravac and Sulejman Tihić
Chief of Cabinet of Croat Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
5 October 2002 – 26 April 2004
PresidencyDragan Čović, Mirko Šarović, Borislav Paravac and Sulejman Tihić
Personal details
Born (1970-03-25) 25 March 1970
Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
CitizenshipBosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
NationalityCroat
Political partyCroatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Alma materUniversity of North London
AwardsCrosses of Military Merit with White Decoration (2012)

Early life and education

Zovko, a Herzegovinian Croat from Mostar with dual citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, studied French language at the University of North London in the 1990s.[1]

Career

Career in the public sector

Zovko came back to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999 to work as associate for public relations and head of office for the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ante Jelavić,.[1]

In the 2000s, Zovko moved to the diplomatic service: she was named resident ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to France from 2004 to 2008 (competent also on Algeria, Tunisia, Monaco and Andorra as well as UNESCO), then ambassador to Spain between 2008 and 2011 (competent also on Morocco and the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization).[1]

In 2012 Zovko came back to Bosnian politics, working until 2015 as foreign affairs advisor for the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Vjekoslav Bevanda.[1]

In apparent conflict of interest (dual allegiances as a career diplomat), in May 2014 Zovko contested the 2014 European Parliament election in Croatia on the list of the "Patriotic coalition" linked to the Croatian Democratic Union. She won 2,392 votes. She was not elected.[1][2][3]

From May 2015 to October 2016 Zovko was appointed as ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Italy.[1]

Member of the European Parliament, 2016–present

In 2016, following the resignation of Andrej Plenkovic and Davor Ivo Stier who went to form a new government in Croatia, and the refusal of Ivan Tepeš to replace Stier, Zovko took up a place in the European Parliament as MEP for Croatia. Her switch of loyalties from the Bosnian diplomatic service to representing Croatian voters in the European Parliament raised some criticisms in the press.[4] During her first term, she served on the Committee on Development (DEVE). Following the 2019 elections, she joined the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In addition to her committee assignments, Zovko is a member of the parliamentary delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo (DSEE) [5] She is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.[6]

In 2017 October, Zovko was deployed to Nepal as the Chief Observer under European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal to observe the 2017 Nepalese legislative election.[7]

Zovko is now serving her second mandate at the European Parliament. Zovko is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and substitute member of the Committee on Culture and Education and Subcommittee on Security and Defence. She is also a member of the Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and substitute member of the Delegation for relations with the United States and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.

In October 2020., Zovko was elected as co-chair of the MEP Lung Health Group.

Zovko has recently been elected as Vice-chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.[8]

References
  1. Bio on EPP Group
  2. "Ambasadorica BiH Željana Zovko postaje hrvatska europarlamentarka" [BiH Ambassador Zeljana Zovko Becomes Croatian MEP] (in Croatian). Al Jazeera. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  3. Results of 2014 elections, Croatia
  4. "Željana Zovko – Od ambasadorice BiH do hrvatske europarlamentarke" [Zeljana Zovko - From the Ambassador of BiH to the Croatian Parliament] (in Croatian). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  5. European Parliament
  6. Members 2019-2024 European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.
  7. "Fact Sheet - EU Election Observation Mission to Nepal". 2 November 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  8. http://zeljanazovko.eu/en/zeljana-zovko-elected-vice-chair-committee-foreign-affairs
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