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Michal Šimečka

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Michal Šimečka
Šimečka in 2023
Deputy Speaker of the National Council
In office
25 October 2023 – 17 September 2024
SpeakerPeter Pellegrini
Peter Žiga (acting)
Member of the National Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 October 2023
Vice-President of the European Parliament
In office
18 January 2022 – 17 October 2023
Serving with See List
PresidentRoberta Metsola
Succeeded byMartin Hojsík
Member of the European Parliament
for Slovakia
In office
2 July 2019 – 24 October 2023
Chairman of Progressive Slovakia
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2022
Preceded byIrena Bihariová
Personal details
Born (1984-05-10) 10 May 1984 (age 40)
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

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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

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Member of the European Parliament (2019–2023)

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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]

Member of the National Council of Slovakia (2023–present)–

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In the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, Šimečka ran as the leader of the Progressive Slovakia list, which won 32 mandates in the National Council. He personally received over 300,000 preferential votes, the third highest number after Robert Fico and Peter Pellegrini.[12] Immediately after the election, he gave up vice-presidency of the EP as well as his MEP mandate to focus on leading the opposition in Slovakia.[13]

As the leader of the second strongest faction, Šimečka unsuccessfully tried to prevent the SMER party from coming back to power by forming a coalition government with Voice – Social Democracy, Freedom and Solidarity and Christian Democratic Movement.[14] Nonetheless, this effort failed because Peter Pellegrini, the leader of Voice, decided to form a coalition government with SMER and the Slovak National Party instead.[15]

On 25 October 2023, Šimečka was elected vice-president of the National Council. He received 92 votes, 29 MPs voted against and 21 abstained.[16] Nonetheless, in September 2024, the prime minister Robert Fico demanded his removal, accousing Šimečka's family of profiting from over a million euro in public subsidy.[17] Šimečka rejected the allegations, arguing his relatives active in cultural and NGO sphere legitimately applied for grant funding which he could no influence in any way because Progressive Slovakia was never a part of government. Moreover, a major part of the funding was approved during previous governments of Robert Fico. Progressive Slovakia published a list of dozens of coalition MPs, whose relatives received public subsidies, arguing its a common and legitimate situation.[18] Nonetheless, on 17 September 2024, Šimečka lost a non-confidence vote with the slightest possible majority of 76, with three government MPs, all from the Voice party, rebelling and not voting for Šimečka's removal.[19]

Following the vote, Šimečka stated the vote was an "unprecedented political revenge" targeting him as the leader of the opposition.[20] The vote resulted in international condemnation as well. Valérie Hayer, the leader of Renew Europe fraction in the European Parliament strongly condemned the removal of Šimečka at a plenary meeting of the European Parliament, stating its was "another step towards undermining democracy in Slovakia by the regime of Robert Fico".[21] 20 Czech prominent personalities, including the former PM of Czechia Petr Pithart called for the speaker of the Czech Parliament Markéta Pekarová Adamová to suspend any contacts with the Slovak parliament.[22]

Political views

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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.[23]

Personal life

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Šimečka is the son of journalists Martin Milan Šimečka and Marta Šimečková (née Frišová).[24] He lives in Bratislava with his partner Soňa Ferienčíková and their daughter Táňa (b. 2020).[25]

References

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  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". Renew Europe. Renew Europe Group. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. ^ "M.Phil Michal Šimečka, PhD. (Oxon)". IIR.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  4. ^ "European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights". LGBTI-EP.eu. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Intergroups at the European Parliament". European Parliament. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  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.
  11. ^ Khan, Nisa (22 October 2021). "Movers and Shakers". The Parliament Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Ktorí kandidáti dostali najviac hlasov? 10 poslancov s najviac krúžkami". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Michal Simecka gives up his job in Brussels to lead the opposition in Slovakia". Radio and Television of Slovakia. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Prezidentka sa v utorok stretne s P. Pellegrinim aj M. Majerským". Teraz.sk (in Slovak). 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Smer-SD, Hlas-SD, SNS podpísali memorandum, rozdelili si rezorty". Teraz.sk (in Slovak). 11 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Poznáme podpredsedov NR SR: Sú nimi Blaha, Žiga, Danko a Šimečka". Teraz.sk (in Slovak). 25 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Návrh na odvolanie Šimečku podpíše Smer a SNS, potvrdil premiér Fico. Postoj Hlasu nechcel komentovať". Pravda (in Slovak). 3 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  18. ^ Mikušovič, Dušan (12 September 2024). "PS bráni Šimečku zoznamom dotácií a zákaziek pre vládnych politikov a ich rodiny, našli ich za milióny". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Koalícia odvolala Michala Šimečku z vedenia parlamentu. Robert Fico hovorí o ďalších krokoch v prípade dotácií". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 17 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Je to prvý raz v dejinách. To neurobil ani Mečiar, reagoval na svoje odvolanie z postu podpredsedu parlamentu Michal Šimečka". Denník N (in Slovak). 17 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Tvrdé slová v europarlamente: Odvolanie Šimečku rozprúdilo debaty, Metsolová chce reagovať". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 18 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  22. ^ Kačmár, Tomáš. "Přeruší Pekarová Adamová vztahy se Slováky? České osobnosti ji vyzývají kvůli Šimečkovi". CNN Prima News (in Czech). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  23. ^ 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).
  24. ^ 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).
  25. ^ "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.
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