José Manuel Durão Barroso

José Manuel Durão Barroso was the former President of the European Commission. After graduating in law from the University of Lisbon, he moved to Geneva where he completed a Diploma in European Studies at the European University Institute, University of Geneva, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Geneva. He embarked on an academic career, working successively at the University of Lisbon, University of Geneva, and Georgetown University.

In 1980 he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was first elected to the Portuguese parliament in 1985 and was re-elected six times thereafter. In 1999 he was elected President of the PSD and re-elected three times. During the same period, he served as Vice President of the European People’s Party, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Under his leadership, the PSD won the general election in 2002 and he was appointed Prime Minister of Portugal. He remained in office until July 2004 when he was nominated by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament to the post of President of the European Commission. In June 2009 the European Council unanimously nominated him for a second term as President of the European Commission, and he was re-elected by an absolute majority in the European Parliament in September 2009.

He has also participated in several international missions including, among others, head of the IDEA delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996) and advisor to the United Nations in projects for Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.