Štefan Füle is a Czech politician

Politics of the Czech Republic

Politically, the Czech Republic is a multi-party parliamentary representative democratic republic. According to the Constitution of the Czech Republic, the President is the head of state while the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising supreme executive power...

 and diplomat, since 2009 European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy in the second Barroso Commission

Barroso Commission

The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...

.

Early life

Füle studied at the Charles University in Prague

Charles University in Prague

Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...

 and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Between 1982 and 1989, Füle was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

KSC

KSC can mean:* Karlsruher SC, a German football team* Keene State College, a US college that is part of the University System of New Hampshire* Keepers of The Sacred Chao...

. He's married and has three children.

Diplomatic career

He has held several positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles foreign policy of the Czech Republic. , the Minister of Foreign Affairs is Karel Schwarzenberg.- External links :*...

. Füle served as First Secretary

Diplomatic rank

Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...

 of Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN in New York City from 1990 to 1995. His next assignment was at the headquarters of the Ministry in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 until 1998. Then he served as the Czech Ambassador to Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

, also being the NATO contact point there. In 2000, Füle accepted the position of the First Deputy Minister of Defense but later returned to diplomatic work. He had served as the nation's Ambassador to the United Kingdom before being appointed as the Permanent Representative

Permanent Representative

A Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...

 of his country to NATO.

European Commissioner

Füle served as the Minister for European Affairs in the caretaker government

Caretaker government

Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...

 of Jan Fischer

Jan Fischer (politician)

Jan Fischer was Prime Minister of the caretaker government of Czech Republic in 2009−2010. A lifelong statistician, he was previously the president of the Czech Statistical Office since April 2003.- Personal life and education :...

 in 2009.

Fischer

Jan Fischer (politician)

Jan Fischer was Prime Minister of the caretaker government of Czech Republic in 2009−2010. A lifelong statistician, he was previously the president of the Czech Statistical Office since April 2003.- Personal life and education :...

's government waited for political parties

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 to agree on one candidate to become the next European Commissioner for the Czech Republic. But the political parties were not able to agree on one name. Social Democrats

CSSD

CSSD may refer to:*Central School of Speech and Drama * Central Sterile Supply Department *Cloneproof Schwartz Sequential Dropping...

 nominated Vladimír Špidla

Vladimír Špidla

Vladimír Špidla is a Czech politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from July 2002 to June 2004. Then Vladimír Špidla was appointed to the European Commission as Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.-Biography:Špidla studied history at Charles...

 and Civic Democrats endorsed Alexandr Vondra

Alexandr Vondra

Alexandr "Saša" Vondra is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Senator from Litoměřice and the nation's Minister of Defence. He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party...

. Jan Švejnar

Jan Švejnar

Jan Švejnar is a USA-based, Czech-born economist. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2008 election of the President of the Czech Republic....

 and Pavel Svoboda

Pavel Svoboda

This article is about Czech politician. For the Czech organist, see Pavel Svoboda .Pavel Svoboda is a Czech politician and lawyer. Svoboda was born in Prague and studied Law Faculty at Charles University. He's also D.E.A. degree from Université Sciences Sociales in Toulouse...

 were candidates of the minority parties (the Greens

Strana zelených

Strana zelených can refer to one of several Green parties:*For Czech Republic, see Green Party *For Slovakia, see Green Party...

 and Christian Democrats).

The Czech Republic was urged to announce a person's name by the President of the European Commission

President of the European Commission

The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...

 José Barroso. Prime Minister Jan Fischer was also offered the post but refused. There were rumors about Vladimír Dlouhý and Zdeněk Tůma

Zdenek Tuma

Zdeněk Tůma is a Czech economist and a former Governor of the Czech National Bank since 1 December 2000. He was confirmed by President Václav Klaus for another six-year term on 11 February 2005. Tůma resigns as of 30 June 2010...

 being offered the post. Dlouhý was willing to accept the nomination and Tůma refused it. On 10 November 2009, the Cabinet

Jan Fischer's Cabinet

The Government of the Czech Republic, led by Prime Minister Jan Fischer, is a caretaker government established after Mirek Topolánek and his government lost confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies. Fischer, an independent statistician, was chosen as non-party candidate for the office of Prime...

made the decision of approving Füle's nomination for the next term of the European Commission under José Barroso.