CV in English

Merja Hannele Eräpolku
Parliamentary assistant to MEP Sari Essayah, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium

Born in 1969, Nurmijärvi, Finland

Family relations:
Remarried since 2005, two children born in 1994 and 1998

Contact information:
email: merja.erapolku@europarl.europa.eu, Tel. +32 499 721 108, +358 50 560 3261

Education:
Higher school examination 1988, Rajamäen lukio
Master of Political Science 2002, Helsinki University

Working Experience:
Employed temporarily in different positions in 1986-1990
Secretary General of the Finnish Christian Union Youth 1990-1991
Secretary General of the Finnish Christian Union Parliamentary Group, Finnish Parliament 1991-2009
Parliamentary assistant, MEP Sari Essayah/EPP, European Parliament, Brussels, 2009-

Positions of responsibility:
Member of the Helsinki University Student Council 1990-1993
Several responsibilities in the organisation of Finnish Christian Union Youth in 1992-1998
Member of the Nummi-Pusula county council 1997-2011 and executive board 2007-2009 
Several other duties in the Nummi-Pusula county, for example chairman of the board of inspection 2000-2003
Member of the Pusula Lutheran parish council 1999-2009

International participation:
Member of the board of Kristdemokratisk Ungdom i Norden in 1993
Member of the CD-delegation in seminars and conferencies of following organisations 1990-1997:
- Kristdemokratisk Ungdom i Norden (KDUN)
- European Young Christian Democrats (EYCD)
- United Student of Europe (USE)
- Youth of European People`s Party (YEPP)

Participating:
- Nordic CD-meetings in 1997, 2001, 2004
- ECPM seminar in 2007, 2010 
- EPP Group Study Days in Madeira, 2010
- EFI (the European Friends of Israel) 2nd Political Conferance in Jerusalem, 2011
- Holocaust Studies for Christian Leaders at The International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, 2011

Language skills:
- Finnish (mother tongue)
- English (fluent)
- Swedish
- French (basics)
(Earlier basic studies in German, Italian, ancient Greek and old Hebrew)