Zoltán Balog
Minister of Human Resources
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Personal data:
- Ózd, 7 January 1958
- Married, 5 children.
Proficient in German, fluent in English, knowledge of Ancient Greek (with an official certification of the German State.) No party membership.
Before continuing theological studies, he was an assistant turner at the engineering works of DIGÉP, in Miskolc.
Education: - 1974-1976 Voluntary peace service on church renovations in Wittenberg, Goppeln, and Dresden.
- 1976 Graduating from the Calvinist Secondary School in Debrecen.
- 1978-1983 Theology studies in Debrecen and Budapest.
- 1980 Studies in theology in East-Berlin as a guest student of the United Protestant Church.
- 1981-1983 Spent four semesters at the Faculty of Theology of the Martin Luther University, Halle.
In these years he actively participated in the peace actions of the Evangelical Church of the GDR. He acted as a contact between the east-German “peace process” and the Dialogue-group of Budapest. - 1983 Graduate theologian, Budapest.
Work Experience: - 1980 Voluntary work in a Catholic nursing home in Hungary.
- 1983-1987 Calvinist minister in Maglód and five other dispersion congregations.
- 1987-1989 Post-graduate studies at the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Tübingen (West Germany).
- 1989 Theological advisor at the Conference of European Churches.
- September 1989 Assigned by the Ecumenical Council of the Hungarian Churches, he operated as the pastor of refugees from East Germany at the Refugee Camp of Csillebérc.
- 1989-1991 Lecturer at the Faculty of New Testament of Reformed Theological Academy, Budapest.
- 1991-1996 Teacher of Religion, German School of Budapest.
- 1992-1993 Teacher of Religion, Baár-Madas Reformed Gymnasium.
Development of introductory seminars for pupils arriving from Germany.
1991-1994 Advisor on church politics, FIDESZ (Young Democrats) in the Hungarian Parliament. - 1993-1996 Research Fellow at the Ecumenical Institute at Bonn University.
- 1996-2006 Appointed Calvinist minister of the German Reformed Church Community of Budapest. As the leader of the Protestant Forum operating in the frames of the Church Community he pursued public life- and caritas activities. (Consultancy for past drug addicts, supporting church- and human rights initiations in Transylvania.)
As the leader of the German-Hungarian Protestant Forum he was the first to organize a Chagall-exhibition in Hungary, Budapest in co-operation with the German Evangelical Church Community.
As a forum leader he was a co-founder of the German language study group “Lost years?” publishing materials for 5 years and analysed sources of the Cold War from theological aspects. - 1996-1997 Scientific associate at the Faculty of Mental Hygiene at the Sport University of Budapest.
- 1998-2002 Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Hungarian Republic
- 1999-2012 Member of the Board of Supervision of the XX. Century Institute Foundation for Researching Central- and Eastern European History and Society
- 2002-2003 Head of Department, Department of Social Politics, Office of the President of Hungary
- 2002 Certificate as Expert Mental Hygienic
- 2002 Initiator and leader of the renovations of the former German language protestant church at Hold Street, Budapest
- 2003- Curator and director of the “Alliance for a Civic Hungary Foundation”, the assignment of which was terminated on 16 April 2007. Since then he acts as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Foundation.
- 2006 On the parliamentary elections he obtained a mandate on the national list. Since then he announced the intermission of his pastoral service in accordance with the regulations of the Hungarian Reformed Church for the duration of his being an MP. He still maintains his “pastoral character”, meaning the provision of service of preaching and other means of pastoral work on assignment.
Initiated and urged the parliamentary audit on the brutal police attacks of the autumn of 2006. - From May 30 2006 Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Minorities, Civic and Religious Affairs.
- From 26 February 2007 Deputy parliamentary front leader of the FIDESZ Fraction, leader of the FIDESZ Cultural Cabinet.
2009 As the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Minorities, Civic and Religious Affairs, besides Romani Rose, Chairman of the Central Council of German Sintho and Roma – he supported the aid of the families of victims of the serial murders against the Roma. - From 29 August 2009 Chairman of the Hungarian Civic Cooperation.
- On the 2010 elections he obtained a parliamentary mandate as an MP from the 3rd place of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county list.
- From 1 June 2010 Minister of State for Social Inclusion, Ministry of Public Administration and Justice.
- 19 May 2011 Through his personal contribution the European Commission accepted the European Roma Strategy during the course of the Hungarian Presidency.
Prizes and Acknowledgements: - Initiator and leader of the renovations of the former German language protestant church at Hold Street, Budapest, which obtained in 2003 in the category ‘Rehabilitation’ Architecture Niveau-prize.
- Pro Ecclesia Prize (2000) (Oradea)
- Member of the Presidential Board of the European Protestant Free Universities (1993-2003)
- Curator of the Bethesda Children’s Hospital (since 1999)
- Medal of Merit of the President of the Republic (October 2011)
- Member of the Hungarian Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Committee (2012)
