I used to be the first Foreign Minister of the independent Czech Republic and as such actively shaped coming of my country to the European Union and NATO. Both accessions were moments of fundamental significance in the history of the Czech Republic and I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to shaping the reality and practice of our membership in these organisations.

I represented the Senate of the Czech Republic at the Convention for the Future of Europe which drafted the so-called European Constitution.

Between 2004-2009 I served as a member of the European Parliament where I joined the group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, the largest faction in the European Parliament.

Currently I teach at the New York University in Prague

Thank you very much for your visit.

Josef Zieleniec