Contact information
Bernadett Szél, is an economist and sociologist with a unique intersection of skill sets from business management, politics, and academia. She is a former Member of Parliament in Hungary, a published scholar, and a skilled researcher. Her last workplace before politics was the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, and her first academic workplace was the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Currently working as an independent researcher and consultant, besides Chinese influence in Europe, she has a special focus on Taiwanese democracy and the relationship between Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe. She was a legislator for ten years, a party leader for five years, and the prime minister candidate of her green opposition party in 2018. As a legislator, she has become known for providing strong representation for labor rights, social justice, equality of rights, and environmental protection projects. She is a firm opponent of Hungary's deviating from the liberal democratic path and provided a clear stronghold for minority rights in Hungary’s changing political scene. She held several parliamentary and party leadership positions and was a member of numerous parliamentary committees, such as the National Security Committee or the European Affairs Committee. She studied at the Corvinus University of Budapest and holds a PhD in sociology. Liberal democracy, human rights, a democratic Hungary committed to strong European and Euro-Atlantic cooperation, and the global green agenda have remained her main driving forces in her professional career.