Hon. Radim Sršeň

Member of the European Committee of the Regions, Vice-chairman of the NAT Commission, Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Czech Republic (since 2022), Mayor of the Municipality of Dolní Studénky (since 2010), member of the Council of Olomouc Region (since 2016), chairman of the LAG Šumperský venkov, university teacher.

Born in a rural region in the North-East of the Czech Republic. After graduating from bilingual Czech-English grammar school he achieved a master degree in International and European Studies - Diplomacy at the University of Economics in Prague, where he continued also with his Ph.D. degree in International Political Studies, which he successfully graduated in 2011. Since 2011 he is an assistant professor at the University of Economics in Prague specialising in the European Union and the United Nations.

After his studies he returned back to his born region, establishing LAG Šumperský venkov in 2008, working first as a LAG manager and later LAG chairman. His passion in LEADER brought him also on the European level, serving as a president of the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) in 2014-2015 and as its vice-president in 2013 and 2016.

Since 2010 he is a mayor of the Municipality of Dolní Studénky, since 2013 also a vice-chairman of the Association of Local Governments of the Czech Republic. Since 2017 he has been a representative of the Czech Republic in the European Committee of the Regions focusing on topics of rural development, LEADER/CLLD, smart villages, EU territorial agenda and regional policy. He has also participated in rural development projects in Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2022 he serves also as a Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Czech Republic.