Cyril Svoboda
Cyril Svoboda was born on November 25, 1956, in Prague. He is a Czech politician who was the leader of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party between 2001 to 2003 and 2009 to 2010. During his political career he held several ministerial positions and he founded Diplomatic Academy in Prague in 2011. He is currently lecturing at several universities in Prague.
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Biography
Cyril Svoboda worked as an in-house lawyer of the state gas supplier Transgas. Cyril started his political career shortly after the Velvet revolution in 1990 as an Advisor for human rights and for relations between the Czech government and the Churches to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech and Slovak Federal Government. After, he was an assistant at the Faculty of Law of the Charles University. In 1998, he became Advisor to the Prime Minister of Czech and Slovak Federal Government and Deputy Chairman of the Government Legislative Council.
In 1995, he joined the Christian Democrats in 1995. After it, from 1996 to 2004, he became Deputy Minister responsible for the Czech application to the EU (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In 1998, Cyril Svobda was a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, a position he held until 2010. He became leader of the Christian Democrats in 2001. After the Parliamentary election in June 2002, Christian Democrats formed coalition with Social Democrats. He became the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. A year later, he lost the position of the party to Miroslav Kalousek, along with his position as the Deputy Prime Minister after the Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla resigned. In 2007, Christian Democrats formed a coalition with the Civic Democratic Party and the Green Partr. He then became Minister without Portfolio and Chairman of the Government Legislative Council. In 2009, he became the Minister for Regional Development. After the Government fell, he was replaced by Jan Fisher. He became leader of the Christian Democrats again in 2009 and led the party to the 2010 Parliamentary election.
Political roles:
• January 1998- July 1998: Minister of Interior • May 2001-November 2003: Chairman of Christian Democrats • 1998-2002: Chairman of the Petitions Committee of the Chamber of Deputies • July 2002-September 2006: Minister of Foreign Affairs • July 2002-August 2004: Deputy Prime Minister • January 2007-January 2009: Minister without Portfolio and Chairman of the Government's Legislative Council • January 2009-May 2009: Minister for Regional Development • May 2009-May 2010: Chairman of Christian Democrats
Education
Cyril Svoboda graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Charles University in Prague in 1980. In 1991, he attended the Pan American Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame University.
Retirement:
After his retirement in 2011, Cyril Svoboda founded the Diplomatic Academy in Prague, which focuses on improving both public and private administration. He is currently teaching at the Anglo-American University in Prague and the CEVRO Institute.
Notable Work
In 2006, Cyril Svoboda received the Award of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen am Bande). In 2008, he received Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grand Merit Cross with Star and Sash). In 2012, he was awarded an Officer of the French Legion of Honour.
Further Information
Cyril Svoboda Video Speeches and Interviews
External Links and References
• Diplomatic Academy of Prague. • Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. Cultural Diplomacy News.
