When she was two years old, Livia Klausová (then Mištinová) moved within what was still one country from her native Slovakia to Czechia. Forty-eight years later, her husband, as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, stood at the birth of the Czech-Slovak split. And sixty-eight years after her birth, she returned to Slovakia as Czech Ambassador.
You once mentioned that being appointed Ambassador to Slovakia meant a change for you in the sense that “suddenly I was on my own.” What else did diplomatic service bring you?
It was one of the most beautiful periods of my life, and yes, for the first time I truly stood on my own. Most people did not even realize that I had the same education as my husband. At seventy, I had to start learning intensively again and prepared thoroughly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Serving as ambassador to Slovakia had a special charm for me. I was able to get to know the country where I was born, though I had lived there only during the first two years of my life, and to compare in what ways we Czechs and Slovaks are similar and in what ways we differ.
How important is it to maintain and develop mutual relations? Do you perceive any shift compared to when you were ambassador?
I have always considered relations between our two nations to be exceptionally important. We share a common history; for many years we lived together in one state. We are connected by personal friendships - family, professional, and cultural ties. After the division of Czechoslovakia, relations between our countries were always very good, regardless of which political party formed the government in either country. Looking at today’s situation, I see that relations are continuing to develop further. Of course, the context and priorities of both countries have changed, but the fundamental understanding and mutual respect remain.
For nearly a quarter of a century, you stood by your husband’s side as he built his career as a politician and economist. Which years from that period do you remember most?
That entire period was immensely interesting and full of change and activity - not only for me, but for all of us. What I remember most fondly are the people I met while traveling across the country. I recall visits to regions, factories, schools, hospitals, children’s homes, senior homes, sports facilities, theaters, and more. I also remember many personalities from foreign visits - presidents and prime ministers of various countries, kings, queens, and emperors, as well as figures from cultural and artistic life.
Was politics omnipresent in your household?
Of course, politics was omnipresent - even at home. We discussed many topics together. Economic issues dominated: the various steps and measures of the economic transformation.
Together with your husband, you founded the Livia and Václav Klaus Foundation Fund. What projects does it support, and which generate the greatest interest?
We established the foundation in 2003, when my husband became President of the Czech Republic. We did not want to simply bring stuffed toys to children’s homes. We wanted children growing up in institutions to have a better starting line as they entered adulthood. The project was called “A Head Start in Life.” From the age of fourteen, each child was assigned a guardian - a teacher, neighbor, or relative - someone who would act as a “strict parent,” motivating the child to pursue and complete education, while also overseeing their bank account. Our other projects are aimed at socially disadvantaged children in general, not only those from children’s homes. We provide monthly scholarships to secondary school and university students, contribute to language courses and extracurricular activities in sports, art, or music, and also help with obtaining driver’s licenses. However, we do not focus solely on young people. One of our major and highly successful projects, launched with immediate interest, was “Seniors Communicate.” Through courses on internet banking, computers, and smartphones, we sought to help seniors who otherwise have no opportunity to become familiar with modern technologies. At present, the greatest interest is in the “Scholarships and Clubs” project - the support of extracurricular activities.
What has personally brought you the greatest joy in connection with the foundation recently?
We are always delighted when a young person, thanks to the foundation’s support, obtains the education they need and later succeeds professionally. It is wonderful when we receive feedback from students who go on to start families, build fulfilling careers, and sometimes even feel the need to repay the help by financially supporting other children in our program. That is very moving. Personal meetings or even just photographs from their lives always bring us joy.
Are people still willing to help? Is charity something that can unite us?
Fortunately, yes.
A new book about you, Don’t Wish Me a Nice Day, written by Pavlína Wolfová, will be published soon. Unlike your previous book, I Do Not Burden with Sadness, it will not avoid political topics – is that correct?
Yes, there are questions of that kind in the book.
Given the title - do you really not want people to wish you a nice day?
I have nothing against nice days, nor against kind wishes. As for why I dislike that particular phrase, so frequently used on television and in the media, perhaps you will find out in the newly completed book.
CV BOX
Livia Klausová (born November 10, 1943, in Bratislava) is an economist, former First Lady, and former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia.
She studied foreign trade at the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Economics in Prague. In 1966, she earned a diploma from the Université Internationale de Sciences Comparées in Luxembourg and later studied at the Europa-Institut in Amsterdam.
Until 1993, she worked at the Economic Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, focusing primarily on international finance and monetary institutions. From 1994 to 2000, she served as Executive Secretary of the Czech Economic Society.
On December 16, 2013, she presented her credentials to then President of Slovakia Ivan Gašparovič and served as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia until April 2018.
She has long been engaged in charitable work. In 2003, together with Václav Klaus, she founded the Livia and Václav Klaus Foundation Fund. She also contributed to the establishment of the Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation and the non-profit organization Život 90, and she cooperates with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities of the Czech Republic. She is an honorary patron of the Castle Guard.
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