The Annual Emile Noel Lecture
Spring 2007

The Hauser Global Law School Program and the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice at New York University School of Law presented The Fourth Annual Emile Noel Lecture on April 26, 2007. The lecture, entitled "The State of the (European) Union" was delivered by Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

European Commission: Video

Biographical Information

Mr. José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission

Academic Career

• Degree in law, with honours, from the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon.
• Diploma in European Studies, with honours, from the European University Institute, University of Geneva.
• Master's degree in Political Science, with honours, from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Geneva, with a thesis on "Le système politique portugais face à l'intégration européenne".
• Internships and short courses at Columbia University (New York), Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.), the International University Institute (Luxembourg) and the European University Institute (Florence).
• Successively, teaching assistant at the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon, teaching assistant at the Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, and visiting professor at the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service (Center for German and European Studies), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (1996-1998). Head of the International Relations Department, Lusíada University (October 1995 - March 1999).
• Scholarships from the Swiss Confederation, the Commission of the European Communities, the Volkswagenwerk Foundation, NATO and the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research.
• Founder of the University Association for European Studies in 1979.

Political Career

• President of the Academic Association of the Law Faculty, University of Lisbon (1975-1976).
• Member of the European Movement since 1991, when the Portuguese section was relaunched.
• Member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) since 1980; formerly member of the PSD's National Council, member of the National Policy Committee, co-director of the National Studies Bureau and Chairman of the International Relations Committee; elected President of the Party by the XXII Congress in May 1999, and re-elected three times.
• Elected Member of Parliament six times consecutively since 1985, Chairman of the Portuguese Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee between 1995 and 1996.
• State Secretary for Home Affairs in the X Constitutional Government, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the XI and XII Constitutional Governments.
• Prime Minister in the XV Constitutional Government since April 2002.
• Led and took part in a number of international missions, including in the self-determination process in East Timor and the peace process in Angola in 1990/1991, head of the International IDEA (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Stockholm) delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 1996, and adviser to the UN for the Project for Peace Process in Africa (Tanzania), October 1997.
• Member of various informal advisory groups to the Secretary General of the United Nations, including the Secretary General's Resource Group on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Vice President of the European People's Party from 1999 until 2002 and Vice President of the Center Democrats International from 2001 to 2005.

Europe-related work while in Foreign Affairs

• Besides European Council meetings, informal meetings of the Heads of State and Government, meetings of the Council (General Affairs) and informal meetings of Foreign Ministers ("Gymnich"), the following should be mentioned: San José Ministerial Conferences, European Community/Rio Group meetings, inaugural conference for a Stability Pact for Europe, Review and Extension Conference for the Non-Proliferation Treaty and ministerial meetings of the Mediterranean Forum (five plus five).
• During the first Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1992) coordinated EU Presidency delegation to United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro), and Portuguese Presidency of WEU.
• Signed on Portugal's behalf the Europe Agreements with Romania, Bulgaria, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic (1993), the Treaty of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the European Union, in Corfu (June 1994) and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Russia, in Corfu (1994).

Europe-related work while Prime Minister of Portugal

• Participated in all European Union events requiring Portugal to be represented at the Head of State and Government level, in particular the European Councils. Key events include the signing of the Accession Treaties with Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, the accession ceremony for these 10 countries, meetings of the European Convention, the Intergovernmental Conference and the adoption of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Publications

• A number of publications on political science, international relations and European Union issues, including "Sistema de Governo e Sistema Partidário" (co-authored), Lisbon, 1980; "Le système politique portugais face à l'intégration européenne", Lisbon and Lausanne, 1983; "Política de Cooperação", 1990; "A Política Externa Portuguesa" 1994-1995; "Uma Certa Ideia de Europa", 1999; "Uma Ideia para Portugal", 2000; "Mudar de Modelo", 2002; and "Reformar: Dois Anos de Governo", 2004.
• Published several articles on political science and constitutional law in various Portuguese and international collections, encyclopaedias and academic journals, including Análise Social, Polis, Il Politico, and the Dictionnaire International du Fédéralisme. Founder and first Director of the Revista de Ciência Política

Decorations, Prizes and Distinctions

• Holder of over twenty decorations, including Portugal's Grã-Cruz da Ordem Militar de Cristo in 1996; winner of the Casa da Imprensa prize in the area of politics in 1992; named Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 1993; chosen Personality of the Year in 1991 and 2004 by the Foreign Press Association in Portugal; Honorary Degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island, 2005; given "Medalla de la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares" and "Medalla de Oro de la Ciudad de Zamora", Spain, 2005; Honorary Degrees in humanities from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and in political science from the University of Genoa, Italy, 2006; Golden Medal: The Bell Celebration – Message to the United Europe, from the Ferdinan Martinengo Company, Slovakia; EFR-Business Week Award from Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2006; Honorary Degree in Law from Kobe University, Japan, April 2006; Honorary Doctorate in Social and Human Sciences from Cãndido Mendes University, Rio de Janeiro, June 2006; Honorary Citizen of Rio de Janeiro, June 2006. Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science, University of Edinburgh, November 2006; "European of the Year" award by European Voice newspaper, November 2006; awarded honorary HEC diploma, HEC campus Paris, December 2006. Honorary Degree from the Economics Faculty of the "La Sapienza" University of Rome, January 2007. Special Prize Business Centre Club, Poland, February 2007.