Maroš Šefčovič

Early life and studies

Born in Bratislava, Šefčovič originally enrolled at the University of Economics in his hometown in 1984, but left the university after one year to pursue a degree in Russia at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where he studied from 1985 to 1990.

In June 1987, Šefčovič became a candidate for membership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. After the two-year candidacy period, during which he had to secure three approvals from other party members and undertook to "deepen his knowledge of Marxism–Leninism", he filed an application for party membership in May 1989. The party approved his application on 1 June 1989 and he became an official member.

In 2000, he obtained a PhD in international law at Comenius University in Bratislava. The subject of his dissertation thesis was Sources of the EU law and respective legislative procedures.

Diplomatic career

Šefčovič is a former diplomat, having served in Zimbabwe, Canada, as well as the Slovak ambassador to Israel (1999–2002). He was also the Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the European Union (2004–2009).

Political career

European Commission

2009–2010: European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth

Šefčovič replaced Ján Figeľ as European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth on 1 October 2009.

2010–2014: Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Administration

Šefčovič's responsibilities included the administration of the Commission and management of some of the Commission's Internal Services; in particular consolidation of administrative reform, personnel and administration, European Schools and security. From 19 April 2014 to 25 May 2014, José Manuel Barroso was an Acting Commissioner in Šefčovič's stead while he was on electoral campaign leave for the 2014 elections to the European Parliament.

2014–2019: European Commissioner for Energy

Šefčovič was appointed Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union in 2014. In July 2015, he brokered an agreement between fifteen countries from central, eastern and southeast Europe to speed up the building of gas links, improve security of supply, reduce their reliance on Russia and develop a fully integrated energy market.

When digital single market Andrus Ansip stepped down from the European Commission to take up his seat in the European Parliament following the 2019 elections, the Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that Ansip's portfolio would be transferred to Šefčovič.

2019–2024: Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight

In September 2019, newly-elected president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen named Šefčovič as vice-president for interinstitutional relations and foresight. From 2021, he served as co-chairman and represented the European Union in the Partnership Council established by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. In 2023, von der Leyen appointed Šefčovič to replace Frans Timmermans as European Commissioner for Climate Action.

2023–2024: Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal

On 22 August 2023, after Frans Timmermans resigned from the European Commission to run in the 2023 Dutch general election for the GroenLinks–PvdA alliance, Šefčovič succeeded him as Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal. The position of European Commissioner for Climate Action was also assigned to Šefčovič on a temporary basis until a permanent successor has been chosen by the Netherlands.

On 19 July 2024, following EU pressure, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Maroš Šefčovič met and signed an agreement regarding the European Union's access to "critical raw materials" mined in Serbia, representing a further step towards facilitating the Jadar mining project. If completed, the project could supply 90% of Europe's current lithium needs.

2024– : European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security

Šefčovič was appointed European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security in 2024.

In 2025, he has announced an agreement on future trade framework with Ukraine, giving Ukraine favourable treatment to its exports to the EU, while protecting the agrifood sector in several Member States fearing the excessive influx of Ukrainian products by committing Ukraine to gradually align its agricultural production standards with those of the EU by 2028 and a safeguard mechanism. The agreement increased the quotas for some agrifood products, such as eggs, sugar and wheat, and abolished them for the least sensitive ones, such as whole milk powder and fermented milk.

In September 2025, Šefčovič voiced support for closer trade relations between the EU and India, saying, "We are fully aware of the enormous potential for our mutual trade. It's about strategic choices. And clearly, India is a strategic partner, from any angle you would look at it."

2019 Slovak presidential campaign

On 18 January 2019, Šefčovič announced that he would stand as a candidate in the 2019 Slovak presidential race, with support of the Smer–SD party.

In the first round of the election held on 16 March, Šefčovič received 18.66% of the vote and came in second place after Zuzana Čaputová, who received 40.57% of votes. They both qualified for the second round run-off, which took place on 30 March. Šefčovič was defeated by Čaputová, receiving 41.59% of the vote versus 58.41% of votes for his opponent.

Other activities

• GLOBSEC, Member of the International Advisory Council

Political positions

LGBT stance and other social issues

During his presidential campaign, Šefčovič repeatedly spoke against legislative changes which would improve the status of LGBT rights in Slovakia, strongly opposing both civil partnerships and same-sex adoptions. He dubbed his opponent Čaputová (who is in favour of both) as a candidate who is forcing a "new ultraliberal agenda" on Slovakia, comparing the second round of elections to a referendum on such an agenda, which he considered to be "in exact contradiction to traditional Christian values". He also stated that "we cannot support any further steps towards civil unions or same-sex adoptions because these would go precisely against our traditional Christian values", calling this stance as his "very natural position" due to his Christianity. According to his opinion, discussions about "such experiments bring great unrest to society". Šefčovič supported and welcomed the position of the Slovak parliament and government not to ratify the Istanbul Convention (aimed against violence against women and domestic violence), citing his concerns about so-called "gender ideology".

International relations and foreign policy

Šefčovič also criticised his opponent Čaputová for her opinions on the migrant crisis and related policies. He emphasised the importance of a speedy deportation policy, so that "people who do not have any business here are sent to their home countries as quickly as possible". Furthermore, he pointed out that "it has to be Slovaks who decide who comes to our country". Šefčovič has criticized Angela Merkel's actions in this area, labeling her "latest decisions which opened door to mass migration" as something that was not "thought-out very well".

In the matter of Russia–EU relations, Šefčovič emphasised that he does not consider Russia to be any kind of threat. He also criticised imposed sanctions, stating that people are suffering from them.

When asked about the Venezuelan presidential crisis, Šefčovič refused to identify either Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó as legitimate president, stating that "leaning on one or the other side might worsen the situation".

European Union

Šefčovič rejects the idea of EU federalization, saying he is "against creating a European superstate", and considers tax policy, autonomous migration policy, and family law issues to be "red lines" which should not be crossed by the European Union.

Personal life

Šefčovič is married to Helena Šefčovičová, with whom he has three children: Helena, Martina, and Maroš.

References

References

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14. (22 August 2023). "EU's Šefčovič named interim climate chief after Timmermans quits".
15. Higgins, Andrew. (18 August 2024). "‘Bad Blood’ Stalks a Lithium Mine in Serbia". The New York Times.
16. (29 July 2024). "Thousands protest Serbia's deal with the European Union to excavate lithium".
17. (17 January 2024). "Serbia wants talks with Rio Tinto over Jadar lithium project". Reuters.
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21. [https://www.globsec.org/who-we-are/international-advisory-council International Advisory Council] [[GLOBSEC]].
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32. "Official Biography".