Šarūnas Birutis | |
Office: | Minister of Culture |
Primeminister: | Algirdas Butkevičius |
Term Start: | 13 December 2012 |
Term End: | 13 December 2016 |
Predecessor: | Arūnas Gelūnas |
Successor: | Liana Ruokytė Jonsson |
Office1: | Member of Seimas for Ignalina - Švenčionys |
Term Start1: | 16 November 2012 |
Term End1: | 14 November 2016 |
Predecessor1: | Konstantas Ramelis |
Successor1: | Post abolished |
Office2: | Member of European Parliament for Lithuania |
Term Start2: | 2004 |
Term End2: | 2009 |
Birth Date: | 20 September 1961 |
Birth Place: | Šiauliai, Lithuania |
Party: | Labour Party |
Šarūnas Birutis (born September 20, 1961 in Šiauliai) is a Lithuanian politician. He was a member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party from 2004 to 2009. In the parliament he joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
He received bachelor's degree in economics from Vilnius University in 1984 and master's degree in law from Mykolas Romeris University in 2003. After Lithuania's independence in 1990, Birutis worked establishing and developing tourist industry. In 1999 he joined the Ministry of the Economy as adviser for small and middle businesses. He was a member of the team, negotiating Lithuania's membership in the European Union. In 2004, he was elected to the European Parliament, where he joined the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Birutis ran again in 2009, but Labour Party gained only one seat which went to Viktor Uspaskich, leader and founder of the party.