Michal Šimečka

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Michal Šimečka
Šimečka in 2023
Vice-President of the European Parliament
In office
18 January 2022 – 17 October 2023
Serving with See List
PresidentRoberta Metsola
Preceded byLívia Járóka
Succeeded byMartin Hojsík
Member of the National Council
Assumed office
25 October 2023
Member of the European Parliament
for Slovakia
In office
25 May 2019 – 24 October 2023
ConstituencySlovakia
Leader of Progressive Slovakia
Assumed office
7 May 2022
Preceded byIrena Bihariová
Personal details
Born (1984-05-10) 10 May 1984 (age 39)
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Political partyProgressive Slovakia (2017–present)
Other political
affiliations		Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (2019–present)
EducationCharles University (BA)
St Antony's College, Oxford (MPhil)
Nuffield College, Oxford (DPhil)

Michal Šimečka (born 10 May 1984) is a Slovak politician, journalist, and researcher, who served as a Vice-President of the European Parliament between 2022 and 2023, as well as Member of the European Parliament between 2019 and 2023.[1] In 2020, Šimečka was elected vice-president of the European political group Renew Europe.[2] He is a co-founder of the social-liberal Progressive Slovakia party, leading it from 2022.

Early life and education[edit]

Šimečka earned a bachelor's degree in political sciences and international relations from the Charles University in Prague in 2006. He obtained an MPhil in Russian and East European Studies at St Antony's College at the University of Oxford in 2008, before moving to Nuffield College, where he received a DPhil in Politics and International Relations in 2012.[3]

Political career[edit]

Member of the European Parliament, 2019–2023[edit]

Šimečka is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[4] and European Parliament Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages.[5]

During the European Parliament elections in May 2019, Šimečka was the leader of the coalition candidate Progressive Slovakia and Democrats, which won with a profit of 20.11%.[6] He was elected MEP with 81,735 preferential votes.[7] Later that November, Šimečka was elected rapporteur on the establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights.[8]

In October 2020, Šimečka presented his proposal for a mechanism combining several tools which monitor the respect of rule of law and European values, which received majority support in the European Parliament.[9] He explained that the EU should do more to address the abuse of EU funding, writing that "an implicit bargain between net contributors and net recipients – we pay for market access, you are free to abuse funds" should end.[10]

From 2020 until 2021, Šimečka served as deputy chair of the Renew Europe parliamentary group, under the leadership of chair Dacian Cioloș.[11]

Following the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, Šimečka gave up vice-presidency of the EP to focus on leading the opposition in Slovakia.[12] He received 92 votes, 29 MPs voted against and 21 abstained.[13]

LGBT views[edit]

Michal Šimečka supports the LGBT community and supported the Rainbow Ribbon campaign as up to 77% of LGBT+ people do not hold hands in public because they are afraid of being attacked.[14]

Personal life[edit]

Šimečka is the son of journalists Martin Milan Šimečka and Marta Šimečková (née Frišová).[15] He lives in Bratislava with his partner Soňa Ferienčíková and their daughter Táňa (b. 2020).[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "EP election in Slovakia: Official results confirm the victory of pro-EU forces". The Slovak Spectator. 26 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Renew Europe rapporteur presents draft report for an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights - News - Renew Europe". Renew Europe Group. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  3. ^ "M.Phil Michal Šimečka, PhD. (Oxon)" (in Czech). iir.cz. Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  4. ^ "European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights". lgbti-ep.eu.
  5. ^ Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages European Parliament.
  6. ^ Gabrižová, Zuzana (27 May 2019). "Konečné výsledky eurovolieb 2019 na Slovensku". euractiv.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Eurovoľby vyhrala koalícia PS/Spolu, pred Smerom a ĽSNS". Pravda (in Slovak). 26 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Mr Rule of Law Seeks to Fix Europe's Crisis in Values". Balkan Insight. 10 November 2020.
  9. ^ Zalan, Ester (8 October 2020). "Massive MEP majority for better rule-of-law mechanism". EU Observer.
  10. ^ Šimečka, Michal (24 September 2020). "How to break the taboo about EU funding and the rule of law". euractiv.com.
  11. ^ Khan, Nisa (22 October 2021). "Movers and Shakers". The Parliament Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Michal Simecka gives up his job in Brussels to lead the opposition in Slovakia". EN RTVS. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Poznáme podpredsedov NR SR: Sú nimi Blaha, Žiga, Danko a Šimečka". teraz.sk (in Slovak). 25 October 2023.
  14. ^ Šimečka, Michal (15 May 2021). "Michal Šimečka: Až 77% LGBT+ ľudí sa na verejnosti nedrží za ruky, pretože sa obávajú napadnutia". europske.noviny.sk (in Slovak).
  15. ^ Kyseľ, Tomáš (4 September 2023). "Kto je Michal Šimečka: Má krv starých národovcov a diplom z Oxfordu. Začínal u poslanca Smeru, dnes môže poraziť Fica". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak).
  16. ^ "Michal Šimečka: Bol to strašný rok, pre mnohých asi najťažší, aký sme zažili. Mal však tri momenty, za ktoré budem navždy vďačný". europske.noviny.sk (in Slovak). 3 January 2021.

External links[edit]

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