the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and the delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. In October 2013, Stauner returned to the European Parliament to take over from Anja Weisgerber who was elected to the German Bundestag. Controversies In 2001, Stauner issued a statement through her office, saying she thought it was “ridiculous” that details of her financial interests should be put on the European Parliament's website. At the time, Swedish MEP Cecilia Malmström said: “It’s astonishing that [Stauner] is known for calling for more transparency, and has criticised the Commission a lot because of its lack of transparency. She should be setting a good example.” During the Azerbaijani presidential elections in 2013, Stauner participated in an election monitoring delegation funded by the Berlin-based Society for the Promotion of German-Azerbaijani Relations (GEFDAB); the organization is registered as a private company. The resulting report on Azerbaijan's presidential election was subsequently criticized as markedly kinder than the verdict of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. References General European Parliament biography for the 6th parliamentary term European Parliament biography for the 5th parliamentary term The official website of Gabriele Stauner (German) The outgoing and incoming members page of the European Parliament, noting Stauner's arrival Joachim Wuermeling's Ministry biography Specific 1948 births Living people Christian Democratic Union of Germany MEPs MEPs for Germany 1999–2004 MEPs for Germany 2004–2009 20th-century women MEPs for Germany 21st-century women MEPs for Germany