Jan Zahradil was born in March 30, 1963 in Prague

He graduated from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, specialising in water and environmental technology. Afterwards he worked as a researcher. During 1990 - 1992 he was a member of the Federal Assembly and soon after he became advisor for foreign and political affairs to the Czech Prime Minister. Then he led the Department of European Integration within the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic.

In 1998 Jan Zahradil became member of the Czech Parliament where he was the Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2001 he was elected to the position of the First Vice-Chairman of the ODS (Civic Democratic Party). In 1998-2006 he was the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and in 2002 he was elected as representative of the Czech Republic to the Convention on the Future of the EU. He acted as the Co-Chair of the EU-Czech Republic Joint Parliamentary Committee during 1998-2004.

After election to the European Parliament in June 2004 he became the Head of the Czech Delegation in the European People´s Party - European Democrats Group and Chairman of the ODS Delegation in the European Parliament. Jan Zahradil was a member of the Development Cooperation Committee, substitute on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. He was also a member of temporary committee on Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means.

In the 2009 European Parliament elections he was successfully re-elected as leader of the ODS candidates list. As one of the co-founders he became Vice-Chairman of the newly formed eurorealistic group - the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR). In March 2011 he was elected Chairman of the ECR Group with an interim mandate until December 2011. He is a member of the Committee on International Trade and a substitute member of the Committee on Development and Subcommittee on Human Rights.