The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
Spitzenkandidat Nominee Biography
Jan Zahradil MEP
Chair of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE)
Czech MEP Jan Zahradil has been chosen as the Spitzenkandidat for the European
Conservatives and Reformists group. He currently serves as Chair of the Alliance
of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe and is a strong advocate a multispeed European Union with few restrictions on member state foreign policy and on
businesses.
Czech MEP Jan Zahradil has been nominated as the Spitzenkandidat for the European Conservatives
and Reformists (ECR) group. Mr Zahradil is also Chair of the Alliance of Conservative and Reformists
in Europe (ACRE), an affiliate of the ECR. An advocate of a multi-speed European Union with
few restrictions on member state foreign policy, and an active supporter of the Visegrad Group,
he contrasts starkly to established European liberals. On French President Emmanuel Macron’s
proposed European reforms, Mr Zahradil stated that Mr Macron did “not care about Central and
Eastern Europe.”
The Czech Spitzenkandidat has expressed his desire to see a “modernized EU budget focused on
the protection of the external border, not by employing more EU officials and increasing the number
of EU agencies, but by helping member states” – clear support for the idea of increased border
protection facilitated at a member state rather than Union level. On the Single Market, energy
security, and commercial policies, Mr Zahradil is favour of EU leadership and support, but as in
foreign policy, he believes that tax and migration should remain a sole competency of the member
states.
During an event for Bruegel, Mr Zahradil said he wanted a freeze on the creation of new legislation
that imposed restrictions on businesses, for the EU to continue its unified trade agenda, and for
retaliation to U.S. tariffs. He has expressed the view that the EU should abandon the idea of
a single European currency, calling for member states to easily leave the eurozone and adopt
their own currency. In the interview, Mr Zahradil also said he was against the push calling for the
removal of competition laws in order to create European businesses which would compete with
Chinese and American giants. Instead, he stated that, in order to deal with large Chinese businesses
which did not comply with fair competition laws, the EU should deny access to the Single Market.