Once a Polish minister and EU Commissioner, MEP Danuta Hübner takes EuroparlTV through her day's busy agenda in Warsaw.

Close to You: A career in Europe

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The crisis has shown  that it was worth investing in Poland

as its economy has grown throughout  the crisis and I hope it will continue to.

As the link  between Poland and Brussels,

she was elected to the Parliament  from the Warsaw area.

A professor, economist,  once EU Commissioner,

she's currently Chair of the Parliament's  Regional Development Committee.

She takes care of European  and national interests.

A visit to the Warsaw metro  is one of the many items on her agenda.

I've always believed that investing  in Poland pays off in Europe.

The metro is an example  of the cleaner air we have in Warsaw

Co-financed by the EU, the metro line  should be ready in one and a half years.

Its construction is not an easy task given  the highly waterlogged ground in Warsaw.

Around the Świętokrzyska station  we have a lot of clay in the soil.

When it gets a bit of space  and there's water it starts to expand.

When we put cakes in the oven  they stabilise

but here the clay destroys  the tunnels we've built.

These kinds of greetings  are not uncommon.

Prof. Hübner often has consultations  with the Polish government.

Current economic issues, banking union,  Polish accession to the eurozone

are often the subjects of interviews given  by Mrs Hübner during her visits to Poland.

The perspective of Poland joining the euro

means that today we have  to participate in all the reforms.

When there are solutions  that make it possible

for a non-eurozone state to participate  in solutions for eurozone countries,

I think it is a wise choice  to participate in those mechanisms.

When I decided to work on EU matters  in the Polish government in the mid 90s

it had an impact on the rest of my life:

Later I became a minister, a commissioner,  then there was the European Parliament...

For me this European path is not  just about Europe for the sake of Europe

but about Europe as a place  where Poland has its future.

Danuta Hübner, a university professor,  finds time to meet with young people.

She willingly explains  complicated EU mechanisms to them.

It was an honour that such a personality  came to speak and found time for us.

We appreciated it that she didn't use  terms that we wouldn't understand

but spoke simply and normally,  so we could see that it was for us.

She is Prime Minister in the  Congress of Women's Shadow Cabinet,

equal opportunities and salaries  for men and women.

This organisation calls for a bigger role  for women in politics and business.

We feel funny, strange,  when during meetings and debates,

we hear: 'Mr President', 'Mr Professor', but  then the familiar forms of our first names.

We don't understand  why this difference is made

and this lack of respect  or excessive familiarity,

'a panel of three professors'  and then my first name

we will address the male professors  by the familiar forms of their first names

Many people were wondering  how after being a commissioner

she would find her place in the EP.  It didn't take long for her to adapt.

The transfer from the Ministry to the  Commission and then to the Parliament

gave me a chance to see  the EU institutions from all sides.

The Parliament gives us  much more freedom

The language of a parliamentarian is braver.

She tries to spend her free time actively:  skiing, keeping fit...

Sometimes she likes  to watch a good movie.

But books have  a special place in her heart.

She loves crime fiction  and this is how she relaxes best.