Jan Zahradil | |
---|---|
President of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party | |
In office 1 October 2009 –1 April 2020 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Giorgia Meloni |
Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists | |
In office 8 March 2011 –11 December 2011 | |
Vice-Chair | Timothy Kirkhope |
Preceded by | MichałKamiński |
Succeeded by | Martin Callanan |
Vice-Chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists Czech Delegation | |
In office 11 December 2011 –12 June 2014 | |
Chairman | Martin Callanan |
Served alongside | Ryszard Legutko Derk Jan Eppink Geoffrey Van Orden |
In office 24 June 2009 –14 July 2009 | |
Chairman | Timothy Kirkhope |
Served alongside | Adam Bielan |
Member of the European Parliament for the Czech Republic | |
Assumed office 1 May 2004 | |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
In office 20 June 1998 –20 July 2004 | |
Member of the Federal Assembly | |
In office 6 June 1992 –31 December 1992 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Prague,Czechoslovakia | 30 March 1963
Nationality | Czech |
Political party | Civic Democratic Party (1991–present) |
Alma mater | University of Chemistry and Technology,Prague |
Profession | Scientist |
Website | http://zahradil.eu |
Jan Zahradil (born 30 March 1963) is a Czech politician for the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) who has been Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since the Czech Republic entered the European Union in 2004. Zahradil also served as Member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) from 1998 to 2004.
A scientific researcher by profession,Zahradil entered politics during the Velvet Revolution. He was a member of the Federal Assembly of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic,before becoming an adviser to Prime Minister Václav Klaus. In 1998,he was elected to the national Chamber of Deputies. Three years later,he became vice-chairman of the ODS. Following an unsuccessful attempt to become chairman in 2002,he was appointed First Vice-chairman.[ citation needed ] From his election to the Chamber of Deputies until 2006 he was the ODS shadow minister for Foreign Affairs.
He was appointed an MEP on the Czech Republic's accession to the EU,in May 2004,and was elected at the top of the ODS's list at the June 2004 election. He was elected head of the Civic Democrats' delegation in the European Parliament,in which capacity he led the negotiations that founded the European Conservatives and Reformists. He was re-elected in 2009 and became vice-chairman of the newly founded ECR. In March 2011,Zahradil was elected Chairman,replacing MichałKamiński. He also sits on the Parliament's Committee on Development.[ citation needed ]
Zahradil was educated at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague,and after graduating in 1987,he became a scientific researcher until 1992. He speaks Czech,Slovak,English,Russian,German and Polish. He is married and has two children.[ citation needed ]
From 1990 until 1992,Zahradil was a Member of the Federal Assembly of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. From 1995 until 1997 Zahradil was a foreign policy adviser to the Prime Minister,Václav Klaus. In 1998,Zahradil was elected as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic [1] and held that position until 2004.
In 2001,he was elected a vice-chairman of the ODS,and between 2002 and 2004,was the First Vice-chairman.[ citation needed ]
In 2004,he was elected a Member of the European Parliament and was the Chairman of the ODS in the European Parliament. Between 2004 and 2009,ODS MEPs sat with the EPP-ED grouping in the European Parliament,but after the 2009 elections,several members of the EPP-ED left to join the newly formed European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping,which was based on the Movement for European Reform,an alliance between ODS and the British Conservative Party. In his capacity as Chairman of ODS in the European Parliament,Zahradil reportedly led negotiations in forming the new group which after the European elections in 2014 become the third largest group in the European Parliament.
He was elected Vice Chairman of the ECR,sitting on the group's Executive. In March 2011,he was elected to replace MichałKamiński as chairman of the group,defeating Timothy Kirkhope by 33 votes to 18.[ citation needed ]
After his re-election in 2014 he was elected vice-chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade.
In October 2018,he announced his intention to become the European Conservatives and Reformists Group's candidate for the European Commission presidency. He was endorsed by the ECR Group on 13 November 2018,making him the first Spitzenkandidat from Eastern Europe. [2]
Since the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) was founded in 2010 Jan Zahradil has been its president. [3]
Jan Zahradil made controversial statements whitewashing European Parliament's criticisms on the state of human rights in Azerbaijan,mentioned in three European Parliament resolutions in the period of 2015–2018. He called the resolutions "short-sighted,one-sided,one-issue resolutions" [4] and argued that Azerbaijan is a "victim of political games" asserting that the EU should not sacrifice its partnership with Azerbaijan because of its geopolitical and energy significance for Europe. [5]
In April 2018 a Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe investigation revealed that Azerbaijan blindfolded several members of PACE,bringing into play the infamous caviar diplomacy to tone down and soothe criticism towards Azerbaijan. These members were subjected to sanctions. [6] Commenting on these events,Zahradil said:"The Council of Europe has made unilateral and biased decisions on Azerbaijan and it should be abolished". [7]
Viewed as being an ideological protégéof former Czech President Václav Klaus,Jan Zahradil is a two track European Union reform advocate and economic liberal. As chairman of the EU trade commission he has overseen several bilateral trade agreements,most notably the FTA between Vietnam and the EU. He has been described as Anglophile,Atlanticist,national liberal and libertarian,and holds liberal viewpoints on immigration and gay marriage. [8]
Václav Klaus is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second and last prime minister of the Czech Republic while it was a federal subject of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, and then as the first prime minister of the newly independent Czech Republic from 1993 to 1998.
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Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician, Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie and Masovian between 2004–2014, and from 2019 MEP for Masovian constituency. Member of the Senate and the Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland 2015–2019.
Michał Tomasz Kamiński is a Polish politician and a member of the Senate with the Union of European Democrats. He was chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament from July 2009 until March 2011.
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The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party European political party (formerly known as the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe or Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, but also includes MEPs from four other European parties and thirteen MEPs without European party affiliation.
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party, formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) (2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) (2016–2019), is a conservative, soft Eurosceptic European political party with a main focus on reforming the European Union (EU) on the basis of Eurorealism, as opposed to total rejection of the EU (anti-EU-ism).
In March 2010, members from the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and ECR groups founded the “Friends of Turkey” group in the European Parliament. Seventy-seven MEPs joined and were active members during the 7th legislative term (2009-2014). Alojz Peterle (EPP) was elected as chairman of the group.
The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) leadership election, 2002 happened after party was defeated in legislative election. The incumbent leader Václav Klaus decided to not participate in the election. The main Candidates included Petr Nečas, Jan Zahradil and Mirek Topolánek. Petr Nečas was considered front-runner but unexpectedly lost in second round to Mirek Topolánek who was considered a Dark horse of the election. 353 delegates could vote.
Euroscepticism, i.e. the opposition to policies of supranational European Union institutions and/or opposition to membership of the European Union, is a significant element in the politics of the Czech Republic, with several parties and political figures favouring leaving the union. According to a survey by CVVM in April 2016, 25% of Czechs were satisfied with European Union membership.
Election of the President of European Conservatives and Reformists was held on 8 March 2011. Election was held after the previous president Michal Kaminski quit the group. Candidates included Czech MEP Jan Zahradil, British MEP Timothy Kirkhope and Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko. Kirkhope was considered the favourite to become the new president as the Conservative Party dominated the group. He was defeated by Zahradil who became the new president.
The 2019 European Parliament election in the Czech Republic was held on 24 and 25 May 2019, electing the 21 members of the Czech delegation to the European Parliament as part of the European elections held across the European Union.
The Tricolour Citizens' Movement is a hard Eurosceptic, fiscally conservative, and national-conservative political party in the Czech Republic.
Elections will be held in the Czech Republic on 7-8 June 2024 to elect the 21 Czech representatives for the European Parliament, alongside the EU-wide 2024 European Parliament election. The newly elected European Parliament should consist of 720 deputies in total.