José Manuel Barroso

Biography

José Manuel Barroso served as Prime Minister of Portugal and President of the European Commission during a career which saw him receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the EU.In the Portuguese Parliament José served as State Secretary for Home Affairs, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Minister for Foreign Affairs in successive governments.

During his time as Prime Minister he tackled an acing a growing budget deficit and drove through difficult decisions and strict reforms.

José Manuel retained the Presidency of the European Commission for two five-year terms where he passed the Treaty of Lisbon, tackled the financial crisis and welcomed new members to the European Union, as the bloc went from 15 to 28 countries between 2004 and 2014.

Outside politics he is Chair and non-executive director of Goldman Sachs International after joining the financial services company in in 2016.

He is also chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – a which international organisation created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.

José Manuel has also been awarded a string of honorary degrees and has receivedd ozens of prizes and honours, including Portugal’s Grã-Cruz da Ordem Militar de Cristo and Grande Colar da Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique.