Biography
Željana Zovko is a Croatian diplomat and politician. Since 2016, she has been serving as a member of the European Parliament. Zovko is the EPP Group Vice-President for the relations with the US Congress and EPP members in OSCE PA, NATO PA and PACE. Zovko is also Vice-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and EPP Foreign Affairs Vice-Coordinator,Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and member of the Delegation for relations with the United States and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly. Zovko is also a member in the Committee on Culture and Education and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence and a member of the Working Group for the Western Balkans and the Working Group for External Financial Instruments, as well as the EPP Working Group for Intercultural Relations and Religious Dialogue and for the Lux Audience Award, the informal New European Bauhaus Friendship Group and the informal MEP Group on European Remembrance.
Prior to her election to the European Parliament, Zovko had an extensive diplomatic career. She was an ambassador in France, Spain and Italy and non-resident ambassador to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Monaco, Andorra and Malta. During that time, she was also a Permanent Representative to UNESCO, WTO, IFAD, the FAO and the WFP. Zovko graduated with a BA (Hons) French degree from the University of North London.
Zovko 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. In June 2020, 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.
8th parliamentary term
During the 8th term of the European Parliament, Željana Zovko was a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. She was also a member of the Delegation for relations with BiH and Kosovo, the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the Delegation to the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee, EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee
9th parliamentary term
Željana Zovko is Vice-President of the EPP Group, member and Vice-chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for Relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and a member of the Committee on Culture and Education and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. She is a member of the Delegation for Relations with the United States and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat). In addition, she co-chairs the MEP Lung Health Group, and is also a member of the Western Balkans and External Financial Instruments Working Groups and the EPP Working Group on Intercultural Relations and Interreligious Dialogue.