Marcel Kolaja
Marcel Kolaja | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29, 1980 Moravská Třebová, Czech Republic |
| Occupation(s) | Software developer, politician |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | Member of the European Parliament (2019–2024), Quaestor of the European Parliament (2022–2024), Vice-President of the European Parliament (2019–2022) |
| Notable work | Advocate for digital rights, promoter of open-source technologies |
Marcel Kolaja (born 29 June 1980) is a Czech software developer, advocate for digital rights, and former representative of the Czech Pirate Party. He held the position of Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2019 until 2024 and served as a Quaestor of the European Parliament between 2022 and 2024, where he was responsible for administrative and financial oversight. Kolaja was affiliated with the Greens–European Free Alliance faction, collaborating with fellow European Pirate Party MEPs.
From 2010 to 2024, Kolaja was an active member of the Czech Pirate Party, serving as its Vice-President between 2022 and 2024. Additionally, he fulfilled the role of Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2019 through 2022. His academic background includes a degree from the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University.
During his tenure in the European Parliament, Kolaja contributed to the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), and the Special Committee tasked with investigating Pegasus spyware (PEGA). He also participated in delegations focused on relations with both the United States (D-US) and India (D-IN).
His work primarily targets issues related to digital society, promoting open-source technologies, defending internet freedoms, supporting media autonomy, fostering transparency, and advocating for European unity.
Activism and Czech Pirate Party beginnings (2003–2018)
Beginning in 2003, Kolaja actively opposed EU initiatives on software patent legislation before joining the Czech Pirate Party in 2010. In the 2014 European Parliament elections, he ran as the party’s second candidate but did not secure a seat. Professionally, he has held the position of technical product manager at Red Hat Czech, a research and development division of Red Hat, Inc., which became part of IBM in July 2019.
Election
As the lead candidate for the Czech Pirate Party in the 2019 European Parliament elections, Kolaja was elected alongside Markéta Gregorová and Mikuláš Peksa. His platform centers on defending digital rights, opposing internet censorship, promoting environmental sustainability—including phasing out fossil fuels and reducing waste—protecting consumers, boosting technological innovation within the EU, restricting corporate lobbying influence, and addressing multinational tax avoidance via offshore havens.
Tenure
On 3 July, Kolaja was chosen as one of fourteen Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament. He also serves as vice-chair of the parliamentary Working Group on ICT Innovation Strategy, is a member of the Bureau of the European Parliament, and participates in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. His efforts concentrate on maintaining fair competition in digital markets by limiting abuses by dominant Big Tech firms. Kolaja was instrumental in launching FOSSEPS (Free and Open Source Software Solutions for European Public Services), an initiative designed to safeguard open-source software as a shared European resource.
Committee assignments
Throughout his mandate, Kolaja has been involved with several Committees of the European Parliament:
- Bureau of the European Parliament
- Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO)
- Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
- Committee of Inquiry investigating Pegasus spyware and related surveillance tools (PEGA)
- Delegation for relations with the United States
Independent politician (2024–present)
After the Czech Pirate Party leadership election in November 2024, Kolaja declared his exit from the party, citing conflicting political perspectives.