Minister of Finance

Mgr. Ivo Svoboda

     Education: a graduate of Charles University's Faculty of Mathematics and Physics; major subject: applied mathematics.

     Professional experience: programmer-analyst, system engineer, and specialist in software development.

     After the 1990 general election, Mr.Svoboda became a Deputy to the Czech National Council for the region of Central Bohemia, and a member of its Budget and Auditing Committee. He assisted in the drafting of taxation and economic legislation and the Supreme Auditing Authority Act.

     In January 1992 Mr.Svoboda was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic responsible for controlling the CR inland revenue administration authorities and for the Ministry's own supervisory department. He resigned from this post of his own accord soon after the 1992 election.

     Mr.Svoboda was active from 1993 in the field of economic consultancy with special regard to the development and implementation of revitalization programmes mainly for Czech engineering enterprises. He participated in the transformation of the Ice Hockey Extra League.

     Appointed Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic on July 22, 1998.

     Political affiliation:

• never a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia;
• member of the CSSD Czech Social Democratic Party;
• Vice-Chairman for the CSSD party management.