IM Tomáš Ratinger

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague Tomáš Ratinger, on July 10, 2024. Tomáš was a Senior Economist at the Technology Centre Prague, an Associate Professor at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, and the EAAE Liaison Officer for the Czech Republic.

In the early 1990s, Tomáš was a pioneer in the integration of Czech agricultural economists into the international community. His contributions have greatly strengthened cooperation and development in the field of agricultural policy analysis and impact assessment.

Tomáš held a Ph.D. in Econometrics from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, and an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of London. This diverse and rigorous academic foundation paved the way for a distinguished career in agricultural economics research. For many years, he was a leading researcher at the Institute for Agricultural Economics and Information in Prague. Internationally, he was widely respected for his roles as a Policy Officer with the FAO, an Action Leader at the JRC in Seville, and a member of numerous EU Framework Research Project teams, including BrightSpace, PROVIDE, CIMULACT, CAPRI-Dynaspat, or IDEMA.

His expertise, coupled with exceptional methodological skills, curiosity, creativity, and a warm and modest personality, made Tomáš a sought-after colleague and a remarkable mentor. Many of us in the next generation owe our initiation into high-standard international research and the European agricultural economics community to Tomáš’s encouragement and guidance. A strong advocate of European cooperation, Tomáš actively engaged with the EAAE, initiating and co-organizing several EAAE Seminars and playing a pivotal role in the XVI EAAE Congress held in Prague in 2021.

We are deeply grateful for Tomáš's contributions, which have left an indelible impact on our profession, society, and the careers of many Czech researchers. He is greatly missed.

Jarmila Curtiss, Zuzana Smeets-Kristkova, Miroslava Bavorová, Lukáš Čechura, Tomáš Medonos, Ladislav Jelínek