The City Law School and the Institute for the Study of European Law are delighted to invite you to their Annual Lecture featuring José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, chaired by Christopher Vajda KC, former Judge at European Court of Justice.
Speaker: Professor José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission
Chair: Christopher Vajda KC, former Judge at European Court of Justice
Discussants: Professor Elaine Fahey, City, University of London and Professor Panos Koutrakos, City University of London
About the speaker
José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, is a renowned figure in European politics having played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the European Union during a crucial period of its history.
His current roles include chair of Goldman Sachs’ International Advisors and also chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
As president of the European Commission between 2004-2014, José Manuel was one of the longest-serving heads of the European Commission.
In this role, he was instrumental in the passing of the Treaty of Lisbon, responding to the global financial crisis and the subsequent Eurozone crisis.
Under José Manuel’s leadership, the European Union expanded from 15 to 28 countries, and he is also credited with addressing issues related to climate change and energy security.
As a prominent Portuguese politician, diplomat and academic, José Manuel held several significant positions both domestically and internationally.
Early in his career Barroso was president of the Social Democratic Party, serving the Portuguese government in various roles including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Home Affairs.
He was Prime Minister of Portugal between 2002-2004.
José Manuel is a visiting professor at Princeton University, Catholic University of Portugal and European University Institute in Florence.
He earned his law degree from the University of Lisbon and a master’s degree in political science and a diploma in European studies from the University of Geneva.
José Manuel has been awarded numerous honorary degrees and more than 60 decorations, prizes and honours including Portugal’s Grã-Cruz da Ordem Militar de Cristo and Grande Colar da Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique.
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