Born in 1954 in the Małopolska-Świętokrzyskie Region. She has an MA in English Philology from Jagiellonian University in Cracow, 1979. She was Spokeswoman for the Student Committee of Solidarity (SKS) and was active in the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR) from 1977-1980. She was an NGO activist and General Director and Chairwoman of the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation from1992-2005. During the campaign before the accession referendum in Poland, she initiated and co-organised many events and public debates on Polish accession to the EU in 2004. She was Head of the European Commission Representation to Poland from 2005-2009. She was crowned MEP of the Year in 2011 and 2013 in the category Internal Market and Consumers Affairs, and in 2014 in the category Internet Policy. She was voted 2011 Person of the Year in Małopolska by readers of the ‘Gazeta Krakowska’ and one of the five most influential women of Małopolska in 2011. MEP since 2009.