Maroš Šefčovič is a Slovak diplomat who since December 2024 has served as European commissioner for trade and economic security; interinstitutional relations and transparency. He leads the Commission’s work on designing and implementing a free and fair trade policy, and is tasked with establishing an effective and modern customs system.
Šefčovič was appointed vice-president of the European Commission in charge of interinstitutional relations and foresight in 2019, before assuming responsibility for overseeing the European Green Deal as executive vice-president in 2023. He was elected to 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.
Šefčovič 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 EU, contributing to the country's major integration projects, such as its entry into 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.
Šefčovič holds a law degree and a PhD in European Law from Comenius University in Bratislava. He is also a graduate of the University of Economy in Bratislava and the Moscow State Institute for Foreign Relations. He undertook training in diplomacy at Stanford University in the United States. He is the author of “Driving the EU Forward – Straight Talks with Maroš Šefčovič”, which focuses on his first mandate as the Commission vice-president.