Maroš Šefčovič

European Commission

2019–present: 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.^[13] 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.^[14] In 2023, von der Leyen appointed Šefčovič to replace Frans Timmermans as European Commissioner for Climate Action.^[15]

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.^[16]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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".^[18][19] 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.^[20][21] According to his opinion, discussions about "such experiments bring great unrest to society".^[22] 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".^[23]

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".^[24] Furthermore, he pointed out that "it has to be Slovaks who decide who comes to our country".^[22] 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".^[25]

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.^[26]

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".^[25]

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.^[27]