Maroš Šefčovič

Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
European Commission

Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency. In this capacity, he leads the Commission’s work on designing and implementing a free and fair trade policy that enables Europe to reach its competitiveness, security and sustainability goals. He is also tasked with working on an effective and modern customs system that can help to protect citizens and support a level playing field for businesses.

European affairs have been at the centre of Mr Šefčovič's career for more than two decades. In 2019, he was appointed Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, before also taking on responsibility for overseeing the European Green Deal as Executive Vice-President in 2023.

Prior to that, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014, while serving from 2010 to 2019 as Vice-President of the European Commission in charge first of Interinstitutional Relations and Administration, and then the Energy Union.

He first served as a European Commissioner from 2009 to 2010, when he was responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. Before that, from 2004 to 2009, he was the Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the European Union, contributing to the country's major integration projects, such as its entry to the Eurozone and the Schengen area. A diplomat by profession, he served between 1992 and 2004 in Zimbabwe and Canada and as Ambassador to Israel.

He graduated from the University of Economy in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the Moscow State Institute for Foreign Relations. He holds a degree as Doctor of Law and a PhD of European Law from Faculty of Law at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. He also undertook training in diplomacy at Stanford University, USA.

He wrote a book entitled ‘Driving the EU forward – talks with Maroš Šefčovič’, focused on his first mandate as the Commission Vice-President. In 2018, he was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa at the Pan-European University in Bratislava, Slovakia.