Interview
Politics
New Polish Government Should Advocate for EU Enlargement
1 November 2023
11 March 2021
On the day of the plenary session in the European Parliament, Visegrad Insight connected with Michal Šimečka, dubbed Mr Rule of Law by the media, and a Slovakia representative to discuss the European Parliament’s strategy on defending press freedom.
Michal Šimečka is a Slovak member of the European Parliament since 2019. Previously, he worked as a lecturer, written media journalist and foreign policy adviser. In February 2020, the members of Renew Europe elected Šimečka as Vice President of the liberal fraction.
Visegrad Insight: Today, as we speak, the European Parliament will discuss the deteriorating state of media freedom in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. You are a member of the LIBE committee that has been working on this topic. Tell us what it does in this context.
Michal Šimečka: The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is a committee tasked with protecting the fundamental values of the European Union, which includes press freedom. It deals with civil liberties and has several instruments in this area. Because of its competences and composition, LIBE is the most vocal and consistent voice for these issues, continually putting pressure on the Commission.