18 Jul, 2024

Meet our MEPs: Progresívne Slovensko

Following the European elections on 6-9 June, ALDE Party will be represented by a new group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who will lead the fight for liberal values in the next five years.

In this episode of our series, we shine a spotlight on Progresívne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia), a growing political party in Slovakia founded in 2017 and led by former European Parliament Vice-President Michal Šimečka.

Martin Hojsík

Field of expertise: Environmental policy, rule of law, civil liberties

An activist and environmental expert, Hojsík worked for over two decades for Greenpeace, an international non-profit organisation for environmental protection. In 2016, he joined the board of Progressive Slovakia, and he has been a member of the party since 2018.

He was elected to the European Parliament in 2019, sitting in the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). In 2023, he was appointed one of the European Parliament's 12 Vice-Presidents.

Ľubica Karvašová

Field of expertise: European policies

In the last 13 years, Karvašová worked in the Slovak foreign service, the Permanent Representation of Slovakia to the European Union and as a diplomatic adviser to three different Slovak Prime Ministers, resulting instrumental in shaping foreign and European policy.

Her grandfather, Imrich Karvaš, led the fight for the values of freedom and democracy by financing the Slovak National Uprising and is a great inspiration to her. During her mandate, she will focus on the development of Slovak regions, particularly for what concerns entrepreneurship, innovation and culture.

Ľudovít Ódor

Field of expertise: Economics and finance

As Slovakia’s former Prime Minister and Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia, Ódor played a significant role in several important economic and political decisions in Slovakia, such as key public finance reforms, the introduction of the euro and the debt brake law. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2024 as PS lead candidate.

He is the author and co-author of many professional publications and reform concepts, including the strategy for the introduction of the euro in tax and pension systems, constitutional law on budget responsibility, or the project of value for money.

Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová

Field of expertise: Media and journalism

Ostrihoňová’s long career as a TV presenter and journalist started joining Markiza in 2013, where she worked as an editor on the news programme Televízne noviny, focusing on health topics. She presented various other programmes like Šoubiz noviny and Silná sestavava on RTVS.

In 2024, she announced she would enter into politics by running for the European elections on PS’s candidate list. She was elected alongside five other candidates, joining the party's biggest-ever delegation in Brussels.

Michal Wiezik

Field of expertise: Environmental policy

In 2019, Wiezik was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the Democrats, later defecting to Progressive Slovakia in 2021. An environmentalist, he became a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) as well as the Committee on Petitions (PETI).

Wiezik's focus is on nature conservation and the environment. He sees nature conservation, a clean and healthy environment and a green transformation as solutions for people, regional development, modernisation and innovation, and the creation of resilient and diverse landscapes, both in Slovakia and in the EU.

Lucia Yar

Field of expertise: International relations, gender equality, security and defence

Lucia Yar has been working on EU, international security and gender equality issues for almost 15 years as a political analyst, professionally following, researching and explaining issues to the public in the media, to politicians and experts in professional forums and to students in schools.

She also has extensive experience as a journalist. In the European Parliament, she wants to be the voice of those who want to live in a safe, pro-European Slovakia.

Click here to consult our full list of MEPs and read through their bios.

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