Jozef Síkela (; born 17 June 1967) is a Czech politician and investment banker who is the European Commissioner for International Partnerships under President

Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...

since December 2024. He previously served as the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic in

Petr Fiala's Cabinet The Cabinet of Petr Fiala is the current government of the Czech Republic, appointed on 17 December 2021. Following elections in October 2021, President Miloš Zeman asked Petr Fiala, as the leader of the Spolu alliance, to form a new government ...

from December 2021 to October 2024.

Political career

Minister of Industry and Trade

In November 2021, following the resignation of Věslav Michalik, Síkela became the new candidate of the

Mayors and Independents The Mayors and Independents (, STAN) is a liberal political party in the Czech Republic, focused on localism, regionalism and subsidiarity. It holds 33 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and is the third strongest party by number of seats fol ...

(STAN) political party for the post of Czech Minister of Industry and Trade in the emerging government of Petr Fiala (a coalition of

SPOLU Spolu (, stylized as SPOLU) is a Czech centre-right political alliance composed of the Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09. It forms the current Czech government, in coalition with the Mayors and Independents. Initially formed for the ...

and PirSTAN). He was appointed to this post in December 2021 by the Czech President,

Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...

, at the castle in Lány. During Síkela's tenure as Minister of Industry and Trade, the Czech Republic passed legislation aimed at developing

renewable energy sources Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...

, designed to simplify the permit process for new sources and to allow their efficient use. This included the Community Energy Act, which enabled the sharing of surplus self-generated electricity from renewable sources, and was awarded the Business Law of the Year prize in 2024. The community energy system was launched in August 2024. His ministerial tenure also saw the Czech Republic move away from dependence on Russian gas imports, partially via the acquisition of a share in the LNG terminal in

Eemshaven Eemshaven (; ) is a seaport in the province of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. In 1968, the Dutch government declared the Ems estuary (Eemsmond) to be an economic key region. One of the key developments for the region was the constr ...

, Netherlands, in cooperation with the

ČEZ Group ČEZ Group ( České Energetické Závody) is a conglomerate of 96 companies (including the parent company ČEZ, a.s.), 72 of them in the Czech Republic. Its core business is the generation, distribution, trade in, and sales of electricity and ...

, which Sikela announced in July 2022. In November 2023, the government announced that, again in collaboration with the ČEZ Group, it had acquired a stake in an LNG terminal in

Stade Stade (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (, ) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the Stade (district), district () which bears its name. It is located roughly to the wes ...

, Germany. Síkela represented the Czech Republic at the ceremonial launch of the construction of the terminal.

European level

When the Czech Republic held the rotating

Presidency of the Council of the European Union The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament. It rotates among the member state ...

in 2022, Síkela chaired ministerial meetings of the

Foreign Affairs Council The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is a configuration of the Council of the European Union that convenes once a month. Meetings bring together the foreign ministers of the member states. Ministers responsible for European affairs, defence, developm ...

, the

Competitiveness Council (COMPET) The Competitiveness Council (COMPET) is a configuration of the Council of the European Union that meets at least four times a year. This council brings together ministers responsible for trade, economy, industry, research and innovation and space ...

and the

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council The Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE) is a configuration of the Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and ...

, while the latter was coordinating the EU's response to disruption on the energy markets due to the War in Ukraine. With Síkela chairing the meetings, EU member states agreed on key measures that helped stabilize the energy markets. In June 2023, Síkela stated in an interview with the daily ''

Právo ''Právo'' () is a Czech daily newspaper published in Prague, Czech Republic. History and profile ''Právo'' emerged in 1991 following the Velvet Revolution, when some editors of the daily '' Rudé právo'' founded a new company unaffiliated ...

'' that he was interested in seeking the position of European Commissioner. Following the

2024 European elections The 2024 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 6 and 9 June 2024. It was the tenth Elections to the European Parliament, parliamentary election since the 1979 European Parliament election, first direct electio ...

, Síkela was nominated by the Czech government to this role, to serve under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

. In December 2024, Jozef Síkela was appointed European Commissioner for International Partnerships, responsible for the European Union's efforts to build and strengthen partnerships with countries worldwide, focusing on sustainable economic development, reduction of poverty, and global stability. He is also involved in shaping the

Global Gateway The Global Gateway Initiative is a strategy by the European Union to invest in infrastructure projects worldwide. The project was initiated by the EU Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen. Over the period 2021–2027, the EU w ...

strategy, which promotes international cooperation aimed at fostering sustainable growth in Europe and in partner countries.

Personal life

Jozef Síkela is known for his passion for music. He is an avid fan of classical music, particularly the works of

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born ''Heribert Adolf Ernst Karajan''; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, ...

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

and

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...

. He also enjoys jazz music, 1980s rock, soundtracks, and

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikela, Jozef 1967 births Living people People from Rokycany Industry and trade ministers of the Czech Republic Government ministers of the Czech Republic Mayors and Independents Government ministers Czech businesspeople Prague University of Economics and Business alumni European commissioners (2024–2029) Czech European commissioners