His academic field is economics which he studied in Prague, and later, taking advantage of a period of relative liberalization, under Communist rule, in Italy and the United States. Later, he taught economics at the Charles University and the Prague University of Economics.
In his political career Mr. Klaus has been, successively, Finance Minister of the former Czechoslovakia and then Prime Minister, Chairman of the Parliament and, since February 2003, President of the Czech Republic. He played a leading role in the "Velvet separation" of the Czech and Slovak Republics.