Vladimír Špidla () (born 22 April 1951) is a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
politician who served as the
prime minister of the Czech Republic from July 2002 to August 2004 and as
European Commissioner for
Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities from November 2004 to February 2010. He also served as chief adviser to Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka
Bohuslav Sobotka (; born 23 October 1971) is a Czech politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from January 2014 to December 2017 and Leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) from 2010 until his resig ...
from 2014 to 2017.
Early life
Born in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, Špidla studied history at
Charles University. His
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
was ''Založení
Živnostenské banky'' (Establishment of the Entrepreneurial Bank). After his graduation in 1976, he worked in several different jobs, including menial ones, as he refused to fulfil political obligations necessary for access to better employment. He also worked as an
archaeologist.
Political career
Špidla entered local politics in his hometown of
Jindřichův Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec (; german: Neuhaus) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument rese ...
after the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
, joining the re-established
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party ( cs, Česká strana sociálně demokratická, ČSSD, ) is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic. Sitting on the centre-left of the political spectrum and holding pro-European views, it is a ...
(ČSSD, then called "Czechoslovak Social Democracy"). In 1991–1996 he served as the director of the district labour office. In 1992, he became a member of the Presidium of ČSSD, in March 1997 its statutory vice-chairman, and in April 2001 chairman of ČSSD after the previous chairman
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
resigned. He was elected to parliament in 1996, and was First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the
government of Miloš Zeman from 22 July 1998 to 12 July 2002.
He was appointed Prime Minister on 12 July 2002 in the coalition government of ČSSD and the smaller
Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
and
Freedom Union-Democratic Union. During that time, he also held
Presidential powers from 2 February 2003 until 7 March 2003, as the presidential term ended before the Parliament could
elect a new one. His government proposed some reformed to address the growing budget deficit, but their proposals were criticised by the opposition being too mild, as well as focusing too much on tax increases rather than spending cuts. Partly due to tensions within the coalition and a slim majority in the parliament, the government was unable or unwilling to take more radical measures.
Špidla resigned as Prime Minister in June 2004 following poor results for his party and coalition partners in the
2004 European Parliament elections and subsequent loss of support within ČSSD, and he left office on 26 July 2004. He was succeeded by Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Stanislav Gross
Stanislav Gross (; 30 October 1969 – 16 April 2015) was a Czech lawyer and politician who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic and leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party from 2004 until 2005 when he resigned as a result of h ...
, whose government was sworn in on 4 August. Špidla then accepted the nomination to the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, where he became European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities from 22 November 2004.
Špidla was considered to be on the left wing of ČSSD, though strongly anti-communist. In foreign policy, he was strongly pro-European and expressed support for further integration. His acceptance of the European Commissioner post was criticised as a "
golden parachute", as well as an abandonment of ČSSD and Czech politics.
As a Commissioner, Špidla stated his desire to preserve the
European social model
The European social model is a concept that emerged in the discussion of economic globalization and typically contrasts the degree of employment regulation and social protection in European countries to conditions in the United States. It is comm ...
, and said that Europe needed to preserve its "core values of social justice, equality, respect for rights and dignity for every individual."
[ ] His key policies were to "create more and better jobs," "reap the benefits of its enlargement," "address the impact of demographic ageing" and "promote an inclusive society."
He also created a
European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF) similar to the
European Social Fund
The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs), which are dedicated to improving social cohesion and economic well-being across the regions of the Union. The funds are redistributive financ ...
to help businesses adjust to the effects of globalisation. He stood down in February 2010.
Špidla attempted to return to Czech politics, running for a seat in the Czech senate at the
2010 elections, but was defeated by incumbent Tomáš Jirsa of the
Civic Democrats. In 2014, Špidla became Chief Adviser to Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka
Bohuslav Sobotka (; born 23 October 1971) is a Czech politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from January 2014 to December 2017 and Leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) from 2010 until his resig ...
.
Špidla was nominated by the Prague branch of ČSSD for the
2021 legislative election. However, the party did not reach the 5% threshold and Špidla thus did not become an MP.
Špidla ran in the
2022 Czech Senate election for the Senate seat of
Prague 11.
He received 8.39% of votes finishing 5th and thus failed to advance to second round.
Personal life
Špidla has been married twice; he has two sons from his first marriage and another two children acquired by marriage. His hobbies include cross-country and
marathon running. He speaks German and French, but his English is weaker, which was used to question his qualifications for the European Commission.
References
External links
Official biography at Czech government website– out of date
Current official website (in European Commission)Interview with Špidla on labour mobility (by EurActiv)*
Blog written by Špidla
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spidla, Vladimir
1951 births
Living people
Politicians from Prague
Leaders of the Czech Social Democratic Party
Czech European Commissioners
Labour and Social Affairs ministers of the Czech Republic
Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic
Charles University alumni
Czech Social Democratic Party MPs
Czech Social Democratic Party prime ministers
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (1996–1998)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (1998–2002)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (2002–2006)