Ruža Tomašić

Early life Ruža Tomašić was born in the village of Mladoševica, In 1987, she relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia after her marriage, where she continued to work as a constable. In 1992, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and chose to go back to Canada for medical treatment. After recovering completely from her illness in 1998 she decided to move to Croatia again. In the meantime, Tomašić appeared in approximately 20 episodes of The X-Files and Millennium as a stuntwoman, drawing on her experience of riding a police motorcycle in the mid-1980s. a claim she disputed. On 3 November 2014 Tomašić left the Croatian Party of Rights Dr. Ante Starčević.

Member of European Parliament In the European election of 14 April 2013, Tomašić was elected in the European Parliament, placing 6th in the candidates list of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). On 1 July 2013, after Croatia joined the European Union, she took office as Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Tomašić joined European Conservatives and Reformists Group and became member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering. She was re-elected MEP following European election of 25 May 2014, serving her second term in office, placing 5th in the candidates list of HDZ.

Controversies Commenting on the statement by Serbian Labour Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who said Croatia cannot give lessons to Serbia about war crimes after Croatia's Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić said that Serbia could improve its path to join the European Union by holding a trial for the murder of twelve Croatian police officers in Borovo Selo during the Croatian War of Independence, Tomašić stated: "Let them [Serbs] pray to God that we do not clean up our yard because if we start to clean our yard you will have a lot more Serbs from Croatia who will have to go to Serbia. They hold this state for their treasury and supermarket and give nothing to the state". Her statement was criticised by many, including the Committee on Human Rights and National Minorities of the Croatian Parliament. Three days later, Tomašić wrote on her official Facebook page that she was referring to those Serbs who committed war crimes during the 1990s Croatian War of Independence and were never tried.

Personal life Tomašić lives in Brna, on the island of Korčula, which is the birthplace of her husband Vlado, whom she married in 1987. They have two children.