António Vitorino
| António Vitorino GCC | |
|---|---|
|
António Vitorino (center) | |
| 2nd European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs | |
|
In office 13 September 1999 – 31 October 2004 | |
| President | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Anita Gradin |
| Succeeded by | Franco Frattini |
| Minister of the Presidency | |
|
In office 28 October 1995 – 25 November 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Fernando Nogueira |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Coelho |
| Minister of Defence | |
|
In office 28 October 1995 – 25 November 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | António Figueiredo Lopes |
| Succeeded by | José Veiga Simão |
| Judge of the Constitutional Court | |
|
In office 2 August 1989 – 10 March 1994 | |
| Appointed by | Assembly of the Republic |
| Preceded by | Armando Marques Guedes |
| Succeeded by | Maria Fernanda Pereira |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
António Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino 12 January 1957 (age 58) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Socialist |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon |
| Profession | Lawyer |
António Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino (12 January 1957 in Lisbon; Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu vituˈɾinu]) is a Portuguese politician and member of the Socialist Party (PS).
Career
Vitorino graduated in law from the University of Lisbon. A lawyer by training, he was first elected to Parliament in 1980. In 1983, he was Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs, a junior minister role in the grand coalition government led by Mário Soares. After the government's defeat in the 1985 elections, Vitorino became a deputy secretary for the Governor of Macau. In 1989, he returned to Lisbon to become a judge of the Constitutional Court, ending his term in 1994.[1]
In 1995, he became Minister for National Defence and Deputy Prime Minister in the first government of António Guterres. He resigned in 1997 for being suspected of tax evasion.[2]
After being cleared of the charges, Vitorino was appointed European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, during the commission led by Romano Prodi.[3] As a representative of the European Commission, he took part in the conversations that drew up the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Convention on the Future of Europe.
When Guterres ruled himself out of the contest for the role of President of the European Commission in June 2004, he instead threw his support behind Vitorino. The post eventually went to José Manuel Barroso.[4] In 2004, Vitorino refused to run for leader of the Socialist Party after the resignation of Ferro Rodrigues, despite being overwhelmingly the favourite candidate. José Sócrates become the new leader of the party instead of Vitorino, going on to win a majority in the 2005 general election.
Life after politics
In 2005, Vitorino became a partner at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira & Associados, one of the most influential law firms in the Iberian Peninsula. Between 2006 and 2007, he served as member of the Amato Group, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became known as the Treaty of Lisbon following its rejection by French and Dutch voters.
From November 2008 until June 2009, Vitorino served as member of a six-member panel of EU experts advising the Bulgarian government. Set up by Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, the advisory board was chaired by Dominique de Villepin and mandated to recommend ways to help the country adjust to EU membership.[5]
Vitorino has been the President of Notre Europe, the European think tank founded by Jacques Delors, since June 2011. Vitorino also has an ongoing role as commentator for RTP 1's programme Notas Soltas hosted by television journalist Judite Sousa.[6]
Corporate boards
- Banco Santander Totta, Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting (2005-2016), Member of the Board of Directors[7]
- Áreas Portugal, Chairman of the Board
- Siemens Portugal, Non-Executive Director
- Brisa, President of the General Assembly[8]
- Novabase, Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting[9]
- Tabaqueira Indústria, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
- CTT Correios de Portugal, S.A., Member of the Board (until 2016)[10]
Non-profits
- International Migration Initiative, Chairman of the Advisory Board[11]
- European Strategy Forum, Co-Chairman (jointly with Peter Ludlow and Vladimir Drobnjak, since 2006)
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member of the Strategy Group of the Foreign Policy Scorecard
- World Justice Project, Honorary Co-Chair[12]
- Migration Policy Institute, Member of the Transatlantic Council on Migration (TCM) Member
- European Policy Centre, Chairman of the Governing Board (2005-2009), Member of the Strategic Council
- Portuguese Bar Association, Member
- Fundação Res Publica, Member of the Board of Directors
- Fundação Arpad Szenes e Vieira da Silva, President (2007-2010)[13]
Personal life
Vitorino is married and has two children.
References
- ↑ "Advogados - António Vitorino - Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira". Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
- ↑ "Portuguese Prime Minister Accepts Aide's Resignation". Washington Post. 23 November 1997. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ↑ "EC call for Euro green card". CNN. 12 July 2001. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ↑ Guterres excludes himself from president contest European Voice, June 2, 2004.
- ↑ Tony Barber (June 21, 2009), Bulgaria risks shifting into Moscow's orbit, EU is told Financial Times.
- ↑ "As Notas Soltas de António Vitorino". Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ↑ António Vitorino deixa os CTT a caminho do Santander Totta Diário de Notícias, May 30, 2016.
- ↑ Organizational Chart Brisa.
- ↑ António Vitorino Novabase.
- ↑ António Vitorino deixa os CTT a caminho do Santander Totta Diário de Notícias, May 30, 2016.
- ↑ Board of the International Migration Initiative Open Society Foundations.
- ↑ "Honorary Chairs – World Justice Project". Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ Sérgio C. Andrade (June 23, 2010), Manuel Pinho substitui António Vitorino na Fundação Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Público.