Czechs in the EU: Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová
Věra Jourová is one of the best-known Czech names in Brussels’ circles. In 2019, the former Czech minister and commissioner, now Vice-President of the European Commission, made Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people on the planet. Ironically, she entered the EU-executive with a slight disadvantage, because she was put in charge of a portfolio she didn’t particularly want. In this edition of “Czechs in the EU” we look back at Věra Jourová’s work in Brussels with Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the Europeum Institute and Czech Radio’s former Brussels correspondent.
When Věra Jourová became the first Czech to make Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people on the planet in 2019, she said she could not have been more surprised.
Věra Jourová: "It was quite incredible for me because I don't feel extremely influential or important. I'm still a normal woman. But it's a pleasure and an appreciation of not just my work but the work of my team and I'll try to handle it as deftly as possible."
Viktor, you were there at the time. How significant was the Time magazine award, and does Věra Jourová really have a global influence?
“People from the so-called “Brussels’ bubble” tend to say that European regulations have global reach. It’s not always the case, but in the area of consumer protection, it actually is. GDPR, the regulation for data protection, actually plays a key role in this.
“Věra Jourová was not the initiator of this legislation, but she managed to do a lot of important work around it. She got on a train that had already departed, but she managed to convince partners, not only in Europe but also abroad, why is it necessary to start regulating data protection on the internet. She didn’t hesitate to go to Silicon Valley to talk to the giant American technological companies that were resisting the regulation, and that were sending armies of lobbyists to Brussels.
“GDPR created the right to be forgotten on the internet, the right to be notified when data breach occurs, and also the right to refuse providing personal data.
Věra Jourová: “We promised citizens more control over their data, to give them more power to deal with companies that mishandle their data. To do that we are working hard on raising people’s awareness of their rights.”
That is how Jourová herself spoke about it at the time. However, it was not her legislation, so what was her specific contribution? What was it that earned her international recognition?
“Věra Jourová used her experience as a person who grew up in the Communist regime and was very sensitive when it comes to breaches of privacy. She, as I said, came to Silicon Valley, and faced the leaders of the technological giants. Eventually, those who were critics at the outset, actually became advocates of GDPR. I would even say the biggest advocates - for example the inventor of Facebook and the CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg.”
Mark Zuckerberg :“It focuses on a few principles. Everyone has to be in control, there needs to be transparency about how your information is used, and there needs to be accountability when companies misuse it. These are values that we all share.“
“I would dare to say that in Czechia, there is no other person who would be in such an intense contact with the CEOs of all important technological companies in the world, at least the biggest ones.
"In the end, European legislation in the area of data protection on the internet actually became a model for other regulations, for example the American one.”
Viktor as we’ve said, Jourová managed to earn a global reputation in an area that she herself did not aspire to be active in. How did she get the Justice and Consumer Protection portfolio in the first place?
As you said in the beginning, the career of Věra Jourová in Brussels was actually just a coincidence. The nomination she received was the result of a coalition spat in Czechia. There was a discussion about the nominees and the government was unable to reach a decision, so Věra Jourová was brought to their attention. She would have liked to get the regional policy portfolio, because she actually focused her whole career on that, it was her specialty. However, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker changed his mind at the last minute, which was a huge disappointment for Věra Jourová as she then admitted in an interview for Czech Radio.”
Věra Jourová: "Today was challenging in that I received a portfolio that I didn't expect. I am mobilizing all my positive thinking and, believe me, I have plenty of it. But as regards whether I am disappointed not to have been given the regional policy portfolio I aspired to get, then, yes, it was disappointing."
“We can’t be sure what led Jean-Claude Juncker to change his mind about the portfolio. One possible explanation was the personal background of Věra Jourová. As some of our listeners may know, she was falsely accused of corruption, and even spent some time in prison. It was due to that experience that she decided to study law and to pursue a career in the judiciary.
“Even though her start in Brussels was very difficult, she later received huge international praise, and she even became the Vice-President of the Commission.”
An amazing career there, and Věra Jourová’s name is probably the Czech name that is best-known in Brussels circles. Are there any other Czechs you would mention?
“Well, Czechia has a long-term problem; it lacks people in positions of influence in the European Commission. This has been changing slightly in recent years. For example, Czechs received a lot of praise in the area of nuclear energy, climate policy, or defence. In this area, we can name for example the Chief of European Defence Agency Jiří Šedivý, or the new Deputy Director General in the European Commission for Climate, Jan Dusík.
“We should also mention some influential MEPs, for example Dita Charanzová, who was elected on the ANO party ticket, but later decided to leave the party. We must also say that the Czech presidency gave a lot of credit to Czechia in Brussels, but this will be something we will talk more about in the next episode of our series.
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