José Manuel Barroso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Manuel Barroso
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| President of the European Commission | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 31 October 2014 |
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| First Vice-President | Margot Wallström Catherine Ashton |
| Preceded by | Romano Prodi |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Prime Minister of Portugal | |
| In office 6 April 2002 – 17 July 2004 |
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| President | Jorge Sampaio |
| Preceded by | António Guterres |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Santana Lopes |
| President of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 2 May 1999 – 30 June 2004 |
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| Secretary-General | José Luís Arnaut |
| Preceded by | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Santana Lopes |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 2 May 1999 – 6 April 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 12 November 1992 – 28 October 1995 |
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| Prime Minister | Aníbal Cavaco Silva |
| Preceded by | João de Deus Pinheiro |
| Succeeded by | Jaime Gama |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic | |
| In office 27 October 1995 – 22 November 2004 |
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| Constituency | Lisbon |
| In office 13 August 1987 – 26 October 1995 |
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| Constituency | Viseu |
| In office 4 November 1985 – 12 August 1987 |
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| Constituency | Lisbon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
José Manuel Durão Barroso
23 March 1956 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Workers' Communist Party (1974–1977) Social Democratic Party (1980–present) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Lisbon University of Geneva Georgetown University |
| Signature |  |
José Manuel Durão Barroso (born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was the prime minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004. After that, he served as the president of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014.
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Early Life and Education
José Barroso was born in Lisbon, Portugal. His parents were Luís António Saraiva Barroso and Maria Elisabete de Freitas Durão. He is often known as Durão Barroso in Portugal.
He studied law at the University of Lisbon. Later, he earned a diploma in European Studies. He also got a master's degree in Political Science and Social Sciences from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Barroso became involved in politics when he was a teenager. This was before the Carnation Revolution in 1974. During his university years, he was part of a student movement.
Political Career Highlights
Barroso started his academic career as a professor at the University of Lisbon. He also did research at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Later, he became a director at Lusíada University in Lisbon.
In 1980, Barroso joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He has been a member ever since.
In 1985, he became an Under-Secretary of State. In 1987, he was promoted to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He held this role for five years. He helped create the Bicesse Accords in 1990. This agreement brought a temporary peace to the Angolan Civil War. He also supported independence for East Timor. In 1992, he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served until 1995.
Prime Minister of Portugal (2002–2004)
In 1995, Barroso was elected to the Assembly of the Republic. He became the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In 1999, he was elected president of the PSD. This made him the Leader of the Opposition.
In 2002, his party won the elections. He became the Prime Minister of Portugal on 6 April 2002. As prime minister, he worked to reduce government spending. He aimed to lower the public budget deficit.
In March 2003, Barroso hosted U.S President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar. They met in the Portuguese island of Terceira, in the Azores. The leaders discussed the situation in Iraq. Under Barroso's leadership, Portugal sent non-combat troops to Iraq.
Barroso did not finish his term as prime minister. He was chosen to be the president of the European Commission in July 2004. Pedro Santana Lopes took over as prime minister.
President of the European Commission (2004–2014)
In 2004, Barroso was chosen to lead the European Commission. The European People's Party (EPP) had won the elections. They pushed for a candidate from their party. Barroso was their choice.
During his first term, the Commission worked on many important issues. These included Turkey's application to join the EU. They also worked on reforms for EU institutions. Other topics were creating a single market for services and climate change.
The EPP supported Barroso for a second term in 2009. He was re-elected by the European Parliament. He became only the second Commission president to serve two terms. His second term ended on 31 October 2014.
Barroso visited Ireland in 2009. He wanted to encourage Irish citizens to approve the Treaty of Lisbon. He spoke about the importance of Ireland staying in the European Union.
In 2012, Barroso suggested that the EU should become a "federation of nation-states." He believed this was needed to help with Europe's economic challenges. He also supported new rules for European banks.
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After the European Commission (2015-Present)
After leaving the European Commission, Barroso continued his work in academia. He became a policy fellow at Princeton University. He also taught at the Portuguese Catholic University. He directs the Center for European Studies there. In 2015, he was a visiting professor at the University of Geneva.
In 2016, Barroso became a senior advisor at Goldman Sachs International. This move led to some discussion about ethics rules for former EU officials. An independent panel looked into the matter. They concluded there were no sufficient grounds to say he violated any rules.
In 2020, Barroso was chosen to lead the board at GAVI. GAVI is an organization that helps provide vaccines around the world.
He also holds several other positions. He is a member of the Steering Committee for the Bilderberg Group. He is also on the Board of Trustees for Europaeum.
Personal Life
In 1980, José Manuel Barroso married Maria Margarida Pinto Ribeiro de Sousa Uva. They had three sons together. Maria died in 2016. In 2023, he married Joana Gonçalves.
Besides Portuguese, Barroso speaks French, Spanish, and English fluently. He has also learned some basic German.
Images for kids
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Barroso with Polish President Lech Kaczyński in Warsaw, November 2007
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Barroso with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, July 2008
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Barroso with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, January 2011
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Barroso with President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., November 2011
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Barroso with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan, November 2012
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Barroso with President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Yekaterinburg, June 2013
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Barroso with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić in Brussels, June 2013
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Barroso with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanović in Brussels, October 2013
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Barroso with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, May 2014
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See also
In Spanish: José Manuel Durão Barroso para niños
- President of the European Commission
- Barroso Commission
- European Union law
