Virginijus Sinkevičius
Virginijus Sinkevičius (born 4 November 1990 in Vilnius) is a European Commissioner from Lithuania and was a Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and Minister of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania.
Virginijus Sinkevičius | |
|---|---|
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| European Commissioner for the Environment & Oceans and Fisheries | |
| Assumed office 1 December 2019 | |
| President | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by | Karmenu Vella |
| Minister of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania | |
| In office 27 November 2017 – 30 November 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Saulius Skvernelis |
| Preceded by | Mindaugas Sinkevičius |
| Succeeded by | Žygimantas Vaičiūnas (acting) |
| Member of the Seimas for Šeškinė | |
| In office 14 November 2016 – 28 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Audronius Ažubalis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 November 1990 Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Political party | Farmers and Greens Union |
| Education | Aberystwyth University Maastricht University |
Biography
In 2009, Virginijus Sinkevičius graduated from Salomėja Nėris Gymnasium (Vilnius, Lithuania). He then pursued his undergraduate studies in Aberystwyth University (UK) from where he received a Bachelor of Economic and Social Studies degree in 2012.
In 2012, Virginijus Sinkevičius was a trainee in the Unit of Regional and Ethnic Affairs at the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania. In 2013, he received a Master of Arts in European Studies from Maastricht University (the Netherlands).
In 2012–2015, he was an author and editor of the news portal Lithuania Tribune.
In 2013–2014, Virginijus Sinkevičius served as an assistant project manager at the Centre for European Policy Analysis in Washington DC (USA).
In 2014, he was an international group project manager in AB Lietuvos Paštas; in 2014–2015, he participated in the ‘Create Lithuania’ program. In 2015–2016, he was the project coordinator in the concession project of the Lithuanian Airports. In 2016, he was a team leader of the Group for Improving the Investment Environment in Public Enterprise Invest Lithuania.
In 2017, he completed Digital Policy course in University of Oxford.
Virginijus Sinkevičius speaks Lithuanian as a mother tongue, as well as English, Russian and Polish.[1]
Political career
In 2016, he was elected to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in the single-member Šeškinė constituency in Vilnius; he was then appointed Chair of the Committee on Economics; on 27 November 2017, he was appointed Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania and, following the reorganization of the Ministry of Economy, he became Minister of the Economy and Innovation.[2] On 22 August 2019, The Lithuanian parliament approved his nomination for European commissioner.[3]
Achievements and Awards
In 2018, he was awarded for The Best Solution for Better Business Environment of the Year by association Investors’ forum and Blockchain Leadership at #SWITCH! Tech Awards 2018. In 2019, he received Partnership Leader 2018 award for Innovation reform and development of startup ecosystem from Lithuanian Business Confederation. In 2018, Virginijus Sinkevičius was included in the list of 100 World’s Most Influential Young People in Government by Apolitical.[2]
References
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vytenis Andriukaitis |
Lithuanian European Commissioner 2019–present |
Incumbent |
