Vladimír Špidla - European Comission

Vladimír Špidla studied history and archeology at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague. Before becoming a professional politician, he worked as Vice-Chair of the District National Committee and Chair of the Labour Office in Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia. In 1992 he became a member of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party presidium; in 1997 he became statutory Vice-Chair of the party and in 2001 he was elected Chair.  He was elected to the Czech lower house in 1996, where he worked as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Social Policy and Health Care. From 1998 - 2002 he served as 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic.  He was tasked by the Government with coordinating the work of the ministries of labour and social affairs; health; education, youth, and sport; environment; and culture. After the 2002 elections he was appointed Prime Minister. At the end of June 2004 he resigned both from the Czech Social Democratic leadership and from office.  Since 2004 he has been working at the European Commission as Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities. He considers finding equilibrium within the globalisation process and the aging of the European population to be key problems for his department.

for more information visit vladimír špidla´s official web