Which position did Andrus Ansip hold in Mar 2011?
Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip ( ; born 1 October 1956 ) is an Estonian politician , a member of the European Parliament , the former European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission , in office from 2014 until 2019 . Previously , he was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2005 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal Estonian Reform Party ( ) from 2004 to 2014 . Before his entry into politics Ansip trained as a chemist , before working in banking and business . He entered Parliament in 2004 , quickly becoming Minister of Economic Affairs , and subsequently Prime Minister in April 2005 . On 1 November 2014 , he was appointed to the European Commission . Early life and business career . Born in Tartu , Ansip graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in Chemistry in 1979 . He worked as an engineer at the university from 1979 to 1983 ( with a two-year break for mandatory military service ) . He was an instructor in the Industry Department and Head of the Organisational Department of the Tartu District Committee of the Estonian Communist Party from 1986 to 1988 . Ansip has been involved in several banking and investment ventures . He has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Peoples Bank of Tartu ( ) , Chairman of the Board of Livonia Privatisation IF , and CEO of Investment Fund Broker Ltd ( ) . He also has served as Chairman of the board for Radio Tartu . Political career . Mayor of Tartu . In 1998 , Ansip was elected as Mayor of Tartu as a candidate of the centrist-right Reformierakond ( Reform Party ) , a position which he held until 2004 , to great popular acclaim and very high ratings in the opinion polls . He had run in previous elections for the Riigikogu , the Estonian Parliament , but had always given up his seat in order to remain Mayor . He was succeeded by fellow Reform Party member Laine Jänes . Chairman of Reform Party and Minister of Economics . On 21 November 2004 , Ansip became Chairman of Estonian Reform Party because the partys founder and hitherto chairman , former Prime Minister Siim Kallas , had become EU Commissioner and Vice President and thus had to move to Brussels . It was obvious that Ansip would have to move to Tallinn , and a chance opened up when the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications in the coalition government of Juhan Parts , Meelis Atonen , a party colleague , had to resign . Ansip became his successor on 13 September . His track record as Minister is more difficult to evaluate because of the short duration of his service . Prime Minister . On 31 March 2005 , Ansip was charged by President Arnold Rüütel to form a government , following 24 March 2005 resignation by Prime Minister Juhan Parts . Ansip was able to form a coalition with the Centre Party and the Peoples Union of Estonia , which was approved by the Riigikogu on 12 April 2005 . Ansip thus became Prime Minister of Estonia . He was backed by 53 out of 101 members of the Riigikogu , 40 deputies voting against . He and the ministers were inaugurated in office the next day , on 13 April . On 4 March 2007 , Ansips Reform Party won 27 percent of the vote in the Estonian parliamentary elections , raising its mandate in the Riigikogu to 31 seats from 19 . Ansip personally received over 22,500 votes . He was charged by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government . This time the Reform Party formed a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica ( IRL ) and the Social Democratic Party . His second term as Prime Minister began on 5 April 2007 . In May 2009 , the Social Democrats left the government , and as coalition talks with the Peoples Union of Estonia failed , it was decided to continue with a minority government of the Reform Party and IRL . In March 2011 , the Reform Party won 33 seats in the Riigikogu , remaining the largest party even after the countrys economic output had fallen by 14 percent in 2009 due to the global financial crisis and the collapse of a real estate price bubble fueled by cheap and easy credit from Nordic banks . Ansip was once again charged by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government . The Reform Party continued in a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica . Ansips third term as Prime Minister began on 6 April 2011 , when Riigikogu approved his third cabinet . But Ansips center-right coalition soon struggled in polls amid signs of voter fatigue at years of a government focused on fiscal austerity as well as several high-profile party funding scandals . The center-left opposition also gained popularity . On 4 March 2014 , Ansip announced his resignation to enable a successor to lead his party into 2015 elections . From 4 December 2013 to 26 March 2014 he was the longest-serving prime minister in the European Union . Vice President of the European Commission . In the 2014 European elections , Ansip was elected as an MEP received the largest number of preferential votes in Estonia . Shortly after , Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas nominated him as the countrys next European Commissioner . On 10 September 2014 President-Elect Juncker of the European Commission announced that he proposed Andrus Ansip as Vice-President of the European Commission and the European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market . He was formally appointed by the European Council as Vice President with the consent of the European Parliament . Member of the European Parliament , 2019-present . Ansip was re-elected in 2019 . Shortly after , he handed in his resignation from the European Commission to take up the European Parliament seat he won . In Parliament , he has since been serving on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection . In 2020 , he also joined the Committee on Petitions and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age . In addition to his committee assignments , Ansip is part of the Parliaments delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament . He is also a member of the European Internet Forum and the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas , Rivers , Islands and Coastal Areas . Relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn . One of the most controversial actions of Ansips government was relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn from a prominent location in the center of Tallinn to the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn adjacent to the city center . The removal of the monument , as well as war graves , from its location on 27 April 2007 led to mass protests and two nights of the worst rioting Estonia has seen since regaining independence . Personal life . Andrus Ansip is married to gynecologist Anu Ansip ( b . 1956 ) and they have three daughters Reet ( b . 1977 ) , who is a stomatologist ; Tiina ( b . 1981 ) who is a journalist and Liisa ( b . 1997 ) . Andrus Ansip is a member of the Estonian voluntary home guard organisation Kaitseliit ( Defence League ) since 10 November 2009 . Awards . - On 31 July 2007 Ansip was recognized for his service in fight for Estonian freedom and Estonian national idea by Estonian Central Council in Canada . - Estonian Newspaper Association named Ansip Press Enemy of 2007 . - : On 5 April 2010 Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana on the occasion of his state visit to Albania . External links . - Official biography for Andrus Ansip - Estonian Reform Party