Tomáš Zdechovský

Tomáš Zdechovský studied at Masaryk University, Salesian Pontifical University and University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The recorded working language is Czech. Places of work recorded in the authority are Strasbourg, Brussels and Hradec Králové. Residence is recorded at Hradec Králové. Positions recorded include Member of the European Parliament. Distinctions recorded are Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite.

Tomáš Zdechovský grew up in the village of Kožlí and graduated from the gymnasium in Ledeč nad Sázavou. Zdechovský has earned three master's degrees. Two of them at the University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Pastoral Assistant and Educator of Free Time). The third he made at the Masaryk University in Media studies. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Political Communication which he earned at the Salesian Pontifical University. In September 2024 he completed his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia in the field of Rehabilitation.

Zdechovský is a member of the KDU-ČSL and served as its regional manager in the Pardubice region from 2007 until 2008. He ran for the 2009 European Parliament election on the 14th place of party list, however he was not elected. Zdechovský received much appraisal and great response for his nomination speech at the Congress of KDU-ČSL, held in June 2013 in Olomouc. During the 2014 European Parliament election, he finished third place as a candidate of KDU-ČSL was elected MEP for the eighth legislature of the house. In 2019, he ran for the European Parliament for the third time and was re-elected. Zdechovský announced his intention to run for chairman of KDU-ČSL on 2 December 2019. However, at a party conference, he decided to withdraw his candidacy and ran for the deputy chairman of the party instead. He was elected for the third time in the European Parliament elections in 2024.

Zdechovský has also explained on the European migrant crisis several times, having visited a couple of refugee camps in Sicily in July 2015. He said most of the people in local refugee camps were actually economic migrants. Furthermore, his criticism is aimed at Greece, which according to his words has neglected the border controls and registration of newcomers.

Zdechovský has been dealing the Michalák Case since 2014. He criticises the practice of the Norwegian Barnevernet and Norwegian child protection policy entirely and demands its modification. In late 2014, together with his fellow MEP Petr Mach, he began to actively engage in a campaign to return of Eva Michaláková's two sons, who had been taken away by Norwegian local Child Welfare Service. Both MEPs organized money collection for counsel in mother's litigation. Zdechovský also initiated an open letter to the Norwegian authorities, which was signed by nearly 50 MEPs from different countries and factions in the European Parliament. Zdechovský is also the author of the introduction to the book Stolen Childhood: The Truth About Norway's Child Welfare System. The book was published in 2019 and deals with the issue of taking children away from their parents by Norwegian child protection service Barnevernet, the causes of the great influence of this institution and the reasons of the frequent criticism of Barnevernet for alleged human rights violations.

Tomáš Zdechovský has repeatedly been critical of the European Green Deal, criticizing it in particular for its lack of thought and lack of a feasibility study.

Zdechovský is a supporter of the introduction of the Euro in the Czech Republic.

Zdechovský co-found of the group of poets called Friends of the Silent Poetic Touch (Přátelé tichého dotyku) and the author of its manifesto protesting against the cultural decline of Czech society. He has published four collections of poems: Ze zahrady mé milé (From the Garden of my Beloved One), Odpusť mým rtům (Forgive My Lips), Intimní doteky (Intimate Touches), and Kapka (The Drop). In 2013, Zdechovský published his first novel titled Nekonečné ticho (Infinite Silence), which is about the relationship between a young man with an older woman. The book was illustrated by painter and graphic artist Klára Klose.

• Articles by Tomáš Zdechovský on Euractiv.com • MEP Ranking • Tomáš Zdechovský website