Jozef Síkela has been nominated by the Czech government for the position of European Commissioner. What was crucial for the decision? And why was Danuše Nerudová not nominated, even though Ursula von der Leyen requires both a female and male candidate? What is the timeline now? Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, answers these and other questions for ČT24.
Jozef Síkela can certainly argue his case with his executive experience, or rather, the government can use this experience to argue on his behalf. However, I believe that the strongest factor in his case, which could determine whether the Czech Republic might secure the economic portfolio it has long pursued, could be the fact that he led negotiations on various energy packages during the Czech presidency. During the period of high energy prices, he negotiated complex emergency measures, and through this, he gained considerable credit with other member states, the European Commission, and a number of MEPs.
Before entering the NGO sphere, Viktor Daněk worked for almost ten years as a journalist. During his time with the public service Czech radio, he focused mainly on covering EU affairs. He spent almost five years as a permanent correspondent in Brussels, where he cooperated with other media outlets. Before his career in journalism, he gained experience in the area of marketing and communication in the Česká spořitelna banking group and at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He holds university degrees in Media Studies and International Relations. Viktor Daněk joined the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in October 2023. He continues to be active in the media as a freelancer. His main areas of interest are institutional questions of European integration, globalisation and the EU’s climate and migration policy.