Christine Muttonen
Christine Muttonen, born on July 16, 1954 in Leoben (Steiermark), is an Austrian politician and a Member of Parliament for the SPÖ (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs; Social Democratic Party of Austria) since 1999.
Political Career
Muttonen was a member of the municipal council Villach from 1997 to 1999 and since 2000, she has also been a member of the provincial party committee of the SPÖ Kärnten. After the 1999 elections, Muttonen entered the Austrian Parliament, where she was the culture spokeswoman for the Social Democratic parliamentary group from 2001 until 2009. During the XXIII. legislative period between October 2006 and October 2008, she also served as Chairwoman of the parliamentary culture committee.
Christine Muttonen has been a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2003. She has been deputy president of the group of the Social Democratic deputies to the National Council, Federal Council and the European Parliament since 2005. Muttonen is also a member of the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA). After the parliamentary elections in Austria 2008, Christine Muttonen initially lost her seat in parliament, however, after moving a fellow MP to the post of Minister, she was sworn in again on December 3, 2008. In 2009, Muttonen took over the role of Foreign and European Policy spokeswoman for the Social Democratic parliamentary group. In addition to the EU sub-committee, where she acts as deputy Chairwoman, she is currently a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Main Committee and the Culture Committee.
Education
Christine Muttonen graduated in History and English from the University of Vienna.
Notable Work
Regarding foreign policy, Muttonen campaigns for a quick nuclear disarmament and, in the European political scene, she fights for a stronger social dimension of the EU and demands, among other things, the introduction of mandatory ceilings on poverty and unemployment. In 2009, Christine Muttonen was awarded the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich). The decoration comprises 15 grades and is Austria's highest national honour.
