Vladimír Špidla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vladimír Špidla
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Špidla in 2007
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| Prime Minister of the Czech Republic | |
| In office 12 July 2002 – 4 August 2004 |
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| President | Václav Havel Václav Klaus |
| Preceded by | Miloš Zeman |
| Succeeded by | Stanislav Gross |
| European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Anna Diamantopoulou Stavros Dimas (Employment and Social Affairs) |
| Succeeded by | László Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) |
| President of the Czech Republic | |
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Acting
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| In office 3 February 2003 – 7 March 2003 Serving with Lubomír Zaorálek
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| Preceded by | Václav Havel |
| Succeeded by | Václav Klaus |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 7 April 2001 – 26 July 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Miloš Zeman |
| Succeeded by | Stanislav Gross |
| First Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Labour and Social Affairs |
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| In office 22 July 1998 – 12 July 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Miloš Zeman |
| Preceded by | Stanislav Volák |
| Succeeded by | Zdeněk Škromach |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1 January 1996 – 31 August 2004 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 April 1951 Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Charles University in Prague |
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Vladimír Špidla was born on April 22, 1951. He is a Czech politician who held important roles in his country and in Europe. He served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from July 2002 to August 2004. Later, he became a European Commissioner, working on jobs, social issues, and equal opportunities for the European Union from November 2004 to February 2010. He also worked as a main advisor to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka from 2014 to 2017.
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Early Life and Education
Vladimír Špidla was born in Prague, which was then part of Czechoslovakia and is now the capital of the Czech Republic. He studied history at Charles University, a famous university in Prague. His final project for his degree was about the founding of a bank called Živnostenská banka.
After he finished university in 1976, he worked in various jobs. Some of these were simple jobs because he did not want to get involved in politics, which was often required for better employment at that time. He also spent some time working as an archaeologist, studying ancient cultures and digging up historical sites.
Political Journey
Špidla started his political career in his hometown of Jindřichův Hradec after the Velvet Revolution. This was a peaceful revolution in 1989 that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. He joined the Czech Social Democratic Party, which had just been re-established.
Early Roles and Leadership
From 1991 to 1996, Špidla was the director of the local labor office in his district. In 1992, he became a member of the Presidium of his party, which is like a main committee that helps lead the party. By March 1997, he became the party's vice-chairman, and in April 2001, he became the chairman (leader) of the party after the previous chairman, Miloš Zeman, stepped down.
In 1996, he was elected to the Czech parliament. From July 1998 to July 2002, he served as the First Deputy Prime Minister and also as the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the government led by Miloš Zeman.
Serving as Prime Minister
On July 12, 2002, Vladimír Špidla was appointed Prime Minister. He led a government made up of his party and two smaller parties: the Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union.
During his time as Prime Minister, he also temporarily held the powers of the President of the Czech Republic. This happened from February 2 to March 7, 2003, because the previous president's term ended before the parliament could choose a new one.
His government tried to make some changes to deal with the country's growing budget deficit, which means the government was spending more money than it was collecting. However, their ideas were criticized by other political parties for not being strong enough. They also focused more on raising taxes than on cutting government spending. Because his government had a small majority in parliament and faced disagreements within the coalition, they found it hard to make bigger changes.
Leaving Office and European Role
Špidla resigned as Prime Minister in June 2004. This happened after his party and its partners did not do well in the 2004 European Parliament elections. He also lost support from within his own party. He officially left office on July 26, 2004.
After leaving the Prime Minister's office, he was nominated to join the European Commission. This is the executive branch of the European Union, similar to a government for the whole EU. From November 22, 2004, he served as the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities. In this role, he worked on policies related to jobs, social welfare, and fairness across all EU countries.
As a Commissioner, Špidla wanted to protect what is called the "European social model." This means keeping important values like social justice, equality, and respect for everyone's rights and dignity. He focused on creating more and better jobs, helping Europe benefit from new member countries, dealing with the challenges of an aging population, and making society more inclusive for everyone. He also helped create a special fund called the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). This fund helps businesses and workers deal with the effects of globalization. He finished his term as Commissioner in February 2010.
Later Political Activities
After his time as a European Commissioner, Špidla tried to return to Czech politics. He ran for a seat in the Czech Senate in the 2010 elections, but he was not elected. He was defeated by Tomáš Jirsa.
In 2014, Špidla became the Chief Adviser to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, offering his experience and advice. He was also nominated to run in the 2021 legislative election, but his party did not get enough votes to enter parliament, so he did not become a Member of Parliament. In the 2022 Czech Senate election, he ran for a Senate seat again but did not get enough votes to move on to the second round.
Personal Life
Vladimír Špidla has been married twice. He has two sons from his first marriage and two more children from his second marriage. For hobbies, he enjoys cross-country running and marathon running. He can speak German and French.
See also
In Spanish: Vladimir Špidla para niños
