Ján Figeľ

I am Ján Figeľ (born 1960), originally from Čaklov in the Vranov nad Topľou district, a husband and father of four children. I graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Košice. Later, I focused on studying international relations in Washington (USA) and European economic integration in Antwerp (Belgium). I taught international relations at the Trnava University in Trnava for four years. I completed my PhD studies at the University of St. Elizabeth in Bratislava.

In my professional life, I have worked as a designer and developer at ZPA Prešov since 1983. Since November 1989, I have been active in the establishment of the Christian Democratic Movement. Since 1992, I have been involved in foreign and European policy as a member of the National Assembly of the Slovak Republic, and since 1998 as State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Chief Negotiator for EU accession. The accession negotiations lasted until December 2002. Their result was the Accession Treaty of the Slovak Republic with the EU, of which I am one of the four signatories.

In my role as State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I also led the preparation for Slovakia’s membership in NATO in 1999–2002. After joining the European Union, I worked as the first Slovak European Commissioner from 1 May 2004, responsible for entrepreneurship and the information society, and later for education, training, culture and youth.

I initiated the excellent international university cooperation programme Erasmus Mundus (2004) and founded the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT, 2008), which is today the largest innovation ecosystem in Europe with over 2,400 partners, which are universities, research centres and businesses.

As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport in 2010–2012, I launched the construction of 56 kilometres of new highways and put 72 km into use. As Deputy Chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and Chairman of the KDH in 2013–2014, I initiated the adoption of the definition, protection and support of marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman into the Constitution of the Slovak Republic.

During the refugee crisis in the Middle East and the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria by terrorists of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), I was appointed as the first Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU (2016-2019). I participated in saving the lives and freedom of a total of 25 convicted or persecuted persons in Pakistan, Sudan, Iran and Cuba.

I live in Bratislava and work in the fields of innovation, industrial projects and regional development. I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tunegu, Púčik and Tesár Foundation. In international relations, I am dedicated to supporting human dignity, religious freedom, and peace and cooperation between nations.

Since 2025 I have been a visiting lecturer at MCC College in Budapest and a visiting professor at CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. I am the President of the NGO FOREF Europe and the Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Clementy Foundation for the Study of the Ven. Schuman Legacy, in collaboration with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican.