Jan Zahradil

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Jan Zahradil MEP
Zahradil in 2019
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	Michał Kamiński
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
Incumbent
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	(1963-03-30) 30 March 1963 (age 61) Prague, Czechoslovakia
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 Michał Kamiński. He also sits on the Parliament's Committee on Development.^{[citation needed]}