Monica Macovei (Bucharest, 1959) is a Romanian Member of the European Parliament for the Democratic Liberal Party. After the Romanian revolution in 1989, she worked as a human rights and political reform activist, with a master degree in law from the University of New York State and Central European University (1994). In her native Bucharest she has worked as both a lawyer and prosecutor. She has also served as adviser to the Council of Europe, the European Roma Rights Centre, and was a founder member of Transparency International in Romania. Her political work, both in Romania and the European Parliament, has focussed in particular on fighting corruption. Minister of Justice 2004–2007. Her efforts were instrumental in the accession of Romania to membership in the European Union in January 2007.