Els de Groen

Elly de Groen-Kouwenhoven (born 23 December 1949 in The Hague as Elly Kouwenhoven, and now generally known as Els de Groen) is a Dutch author and politician, who served as a Member of the European Parliament 2004–2009. She was a member of Europe Transparent, which sat with the Greens/EFA party group. As an MEP, she was a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Petitions, as well as a member of the delegation to the EU–Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee and a substitute for the delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Europe.

Career

 * Senior secondary teaching certificate
 * French teacher (1970–1975)
 * Writer, essayist and commentator
 * Literary reviewer, children's books (1985–1992)
 * Editor of the Algemeen Dagblad's children's newspaper (1986–1989)
 * Has worked for 20 years on news magazines
 * Author of various works of fiction and non-fiction for adults
 * Her work over the last 20 years has placed a strong emphasis on Eastern Europe
 * Unpaid adviser to the Dutch foundation 'Roma-Emancipatie' in Oss (since 2002)
 * Various literary awards