Who is the youngest MEP ever? How old was the youngest MEP when elected?
With this article we answer these questions and give you an insight into the activities of the youngest MEPs in each parliamentary term from 1979 to 2014.
If this is the situation with average age, it seems that the youngest MEP ever is, in contrast, really young: only 21.5 years old and a woman – Ilka SCHRÖDER. But we also have to take into consideration the fact that the rules for European election candidates concerning minimum age is different, see here
An interesting fact is that of the 7 youngest MEPs per parliamentary term, 5 are women.
To satisfy your curiosity entirely, the oldest member of the assembly ever was, Claude AUTANT-LARA, aged 88 when elected on 25 July 1989.
But who were the youngest MEPs and what did they do during their mandates?
Discover them here:
DE VALERA Sile (17 June 1979 – 23 June 1984)
For the 1st parliamentary term, the youngest MEP was Sile DE VALERA from Ireland, aged 24.6 when elected. DE VALERA was a member of the Group of European Progressive Democrats. During her activity DE VALERA was a member of 2 committees and 1 delegation:
– Committee of inquiry into the situation of women in Europe
– Committee on Social Affairs and Employment
– Delegation for relations with the United States
DE VALERA was appointed main rapporteur for a report on retirement age: Report on the proposal from the Commission of the European Communities to the Council (doc. 1-949/81 – COM(81) 779 final) for a draft recommendation on the principles of a Community policy with regard to retirement age (A1-0212/82).
DE VALERA was also appointed as co-rapporteur for a report on the situation of women in Europe (Report tabled by the Committee of Inquiry into the situation of women in Europe on the situation of women in Europe – A1-1229/83) and delivered the opinion of Committee on Social Affairs and Employment for the Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, Information and Sport on stronger Community action in the cultural sector(A1-0927/83).
O’MALLEY Christopher Gerard (Chris) (03 June 1986 – 24 July 1989)
Aged 27, Chris O’MALLEY was appointed on 3 June 1986 following the resignation of Richie RYAN.
O’MALLEY was a member of the European People’s Party Group (Christian-Democratic Group) and participated in the work of the following committees:
– Committee on Budgets
– Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy
– Committee on Budgetary Control
– Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, Information and Sport
O’MALLEY was the author of 2 reports related to electronic data interchange:
– Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy on the proposal from the Commission of the European Communities to the Council (COM(86) 662 final -Doc. C2-171/86) for a regulation introducing the preparatory phase of a Community programme on trade electronic data interchange systems (TEDIS) . (A2-0083/87)Report on the proposal from the Commission to the Council (COM/88/523 – C2-185/88) for a decision amending decision 87/499/CEE introducing a communications network Community programme on trade electronic data interchange systems (TEDIS) (A2-0387/88)
O’MALLEY was also responsible for opinions on 2 reports:
– J. T. NORDMANN’s report A2-0183/88: Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection on the proposal from the Commission of the European Communities to the Council (COM(87) 581 final -Doc. C 2-281/87) for a directive amending for the ninth time Directive 73/241/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption.
– B. SÄLZER’s report A2-0155/86: Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology on the proposal from the Commission of the European Communities to the Council (COM(86) 430 final -Doc. C 2-82/86) for a regulation concerning the framework programme of Community activities in the field of research and technological development (1987 -1991).
MEBRAK-ZAïDI Nora (25 July 1989- 18 July 1994)
Nora MEBRAK-ZAÏDI was elected for the 3rd parliamentary term at the age of 24.1 years and belonged to the Socialist Group (which changed its name in April 1993 to Group of the Party of European Socialists).
MEBRAK-ZAÏDI was a member of 3 committees and 1 delegation:
– Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs
– Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens’ Rights
– Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, the Media and Sport
– Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries
Additionally, MEBRAK-ZAÏDI was a substitute member of the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union.
Appointed main rapporteur, MEBRAK-ZAÏDI delivered a report on the eradication of illiteracy in the Member States of the European Community (A3-0400/92) and was involved in the drafting of the opinions for 3 reports:
– Report of the Committee on Development and Cooperation on relations between the European Community and the Maghreb (SEC(92) 0401 final) (A3-0158/93).
– Report of the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs on immigration from Central and Eastern Europe and on the harmonisation of family reunion policy (A3-0204/94).
– Report of the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs on the status of nationals of non-member countries in the European Union (A3-0332/93).
PALM Veronica (06 October 1998 – 19 July 1999)
Aged 25.7, Veronica PALM was appointed to the European Parliament in October 1998, standing for the Group of the Party of European Socialists.
PALM was member and vice-chair of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media and a member of the Committee on Women’s Rights.
PALM was also a substitute member of:
– Committee on Transport and Tourism
– Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee
SCHRÖDER Ilka (20 July 1999 – 19 July 2004)
The youngest MEP ever, 21.5 years old when she joined the EP, Ilka SCHRÖDER was a member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, (from September 2001, of the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left).
Member of 2 committees and 2 delegations:
– Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
– Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy
– Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe
– Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council
SCHRÖDER was also a substitute member of the Temporary committee on the Echelon interception system and of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
SCHRÖDER was also appointed rapporteur for opinion for 2 reports:
– Report on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (COM(2000) 385 – C5-0439/2000 – 2000/0189(COD)) (A5-0270/2001)Report on the draft communication from the Commission to the Member States establishing the guidelines for Community Initiative Programmes (CIPs) for which the Member States are invited to submit proposals for support under the EQUAL initiative (Hughes procedure) – Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A5-0034/2000)
STOYANOV Dimitar (20 May 2007 – 13 July 2009)
Given that Dimitar STOYANOV is from Bulgaria, which only became a Member State in 2007, he was initially appointed in 2005 as an observer. He was subsequently elected in May 2007 at the age of 23.6 and re-elected in 2009 for a second mandate.
STOYANOV was affiliated to the Non-attached Members and for a couple of months belonged to the Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty Group.
During his mandate in the 6th parliamentary term he was a member of 2 committees and 2 delegations:
– Committee on Regional Development.
– Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
– Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries
– Delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
ANDERSDOTTER, Amelia (1 December 2011 – 2014)
Amelia ANDERSDOTTER is the youngest MEP for the current legislature, only 24.3 years old when she took office on 1 December 2011.
Once in the Parliament, ANDERSDOTTER became member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance.
ANDERSDOTTER is a member of 1 committee and 1 delegation:
– Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
– Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula
and a substitute member of :
– Committee on International Trade
– Committee on Budgetary Control
– Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community
ANDERSDOTTER was appointed main rapporteur for the REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a space surveillance and tracking support programme and opinion rapporteur for 2 reports: one on a Digital Freedom Strategy in EU Foreign Policy and the second on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Kingdom of Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Singapore, the Swiss Confederation and the united States of America.
