António Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino (born 12 January 1957) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

(PS).

Career

Career in national politics

Vitorino graduated in law from the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

. A lawyer by training, he was first elected to the

Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) The Assembly of the Republic (, ), commonly referred to as simply Parliament (), is the Unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Portugal. According to the Constitution of Portugal, the parliament "is the representative assembly of all Portuguese ...

, the national parliament, in the 1980 elections. In 1983, he served as Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs, a junior minister role in the grand coalition government led by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Mário Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portugal, Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the List of Presidents of P ...

. After the government's defeat in the

1985 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1985. Africa * 1985 Cape Verdean parliamentary election * 1985 Gabonese legislative election * 1985 Ivorian parliamentary election * 1985 Ivorian presidential election * 1985 Lesotho general election ...

, Vitorino became a deputy secretary for the

Governor of Macau The governor of Macau (; ) was a Portugal, Portuguese colonial official who headed the Portuguese Empire, colony of Portuguese Macau, Macau, before 1623 called captain-major (). The post was replaced on 20 December 1999 upon the handover of M ...

. In 1989, Vitorino returned to Lisbon to become a judge of the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

, ending his term in 1994. In 1995, Vitorino became Minister for National Defence and Deputy Prime Minister in the first government of

António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...

. He resigned in 1997 for being suspected of

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

Member of the European Commission, 1998–2004

After being cleared of the charges, Vitorino was appointed

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

er for Justice and Home Affairs, during the

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

led by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Romano Prodi Romano Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 and twice as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008. Prodi is considered the fo ...

. 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 The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFR) enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union (EU) citizens and residents into EU law. It was drafted by the European Convention and solemnly procla ...

and the

Convention on the Future of Europe The Convention on the Future of the European Union, also known as the European Convention, was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration. Inspired by the Philadelphia Convention that led ...

. At the convention, he chaired a reflection group on the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...

. When Guterres ruled himself out of the contest for the role of

President of the European Commission The president of the European Commission, also known as president of the College of Commissioners is the Head of government, head of the European Commission, the Executive (government), executive branch of the European Union (EU). The president ...

in June 2004, he instead threw his support behind Vitorino. The post eventually went to

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He previously served from 2002 to 2004 as the List of Prime Ministers of Portugal, 114th prime minister of Portugal and from 2004–2014 as the 11 ...

José Sócrates José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (born 6 September 1957), commonly known as José Sócrates (), is a Portuguese politician who was the prime minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011. For the second half of 2007, he acted ...

become the new leader of the party instead of Vitorino, going on to win a majority in the 2005 general election.

Career in the private sector

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 The Amato Group, officially the Action Committee for European Democracy (ACED) was a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working, over 2006–2007, on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became ...

, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an Ratification, unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for ...

into what became known as the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...

following its rejection by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

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

Sergei Stanishev Sergey Dmitrievich Stanishev ( ; born 5 May 1966) is a Bulgarian politician who served Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Socialist Party, which he led from 2001 to 2014, he later served as Member of the European Parl ...

, the advisory board was chaired by

Dominique de Villepin Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac. In his career working at the Ministry ...

and mandated to recommend ways to help the country adjust to

EU membership The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of Lists of member states of the European Union, 27 member states that are party to the EU's Treaties of the European Union, founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and ...

. Vitorino was the President of

Notre Europe The Notre Europe - Jacques Delors Institute (), formerly ''Notre Europe'' (French for "Our Europe"), is an independent think tank based in Paris. Founded in 1996 by Jacques Delors, it aims to "think a united Europe." Enrico Letta currently serves ...

, the European

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

founded by

Jacques Delors Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (; 20 July 192527 December 2023) was a French politician who served as the eighth president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. Delors played a key role in the creation of the single market, the euro and th ...

, from 2011 until 2016. From December 2011 until May 2012, he served as member of the institute's Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa group, a high-level expert group to reflect on the reform of the

Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union The economic and monetary union (EMU) of the European Union is a group of policies aimed at converging the economies of member states of the European Union at three stages. There are three stages of the EMU, each of which consists of progressi ...

. Vitorino also had an ongoing role as commentator for

RTP 1 RTP1 (''RTP um'') is a Portuguese free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP). It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstr ...

's programme ''Notas Soltas'' hosted by television journalist . In 2017 Vitorino was part of the advisory boards of the "

International Migration Initiative The International Migration Initiative is an effort by the Open Society Foundations to promote harmony, equality and raise the quality of life, of immigrants all around the world. The Foundation realises the impact of migration on the global map. ...

" (

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...

) and the "Transatlantic Council on Migration" (

Migration Policy Institute The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) is an American non-partisan think tank established in 2001 by Kathleen Newland and Demetrios G. Papademetriou. About The Migration Policy Institute was established by Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Kathle ...

International Organization for Migration, 2018–2023

In December 2017, the Portuguese government under the leadership of

António Costa António Luís Santos da Costa (; born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has served as President of the European Council since 2024. He previously served as the 118th prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024 and th ...

put forward Vitorino for the post of Director General of the

International Organisation for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...

(IOM), as successor of

William Lacy Swing William Lacy Swing (September 11, 1934 – June 12, 2021) was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador, and United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Under Secretary General. He was the Director-General of the In ...

. On 29 June 2018, the member states of IOM elected Vitorino as Director General, effective October 2018. He was chosen over American Ken Isaacs, who was eliminated in early voting rounds, and by acclamation over the runner-up, Laura Thompson of Costa Rica. When seeking a second term, he opted to step down after the first round of voting. Amy Pope of the United States subsequently became the first woman to be elected as Director General.

Other activities

Corporate boards

* Banco Caixa Geral Angola (BCGA), Chairman of the Shareholders' General Meeting * Áreas Portugal, chairman of the Board * Siemens Portugal, Non-Executive Director *

Brisa Brisa or Briza may refer to: People *Brisa Carraro, Argentine artistic gymnast * Brisa Roché, American singer-songwriter *Brisa Hennessy, Costa Rican olympic athlete Companies and brands * Brisa - Auto-estradas de Portugal S.A., a Portuguese c ...

, President of the General Assembly (since 2007) * Novabase, Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting * Tabaqueira Indústria, Chairman of the Supervisory Board * Banco Santander Totta, Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting (2005-2016), Member of the Board of DirectorsAntónio Vitorino deixa os CTT a caminho do Santander Totta
''

Diário de Notícias () is a Portuguese weekly newspaper published in Lisbon, Portugal. Established since 1864, the paper is considered a newspaper of record for Portugal. History and profile ''Diário de Notícias'' was first published in Lisbon on 29 December 1 ...

'', 30 May 2016. *

CTT Correios de Portugal, S.A. CTT – Correios de Portugal, S.A. (, ) is a Portuguese company that operates as both the national postal service of Portugal and a commercial group with subsidiaries operating in banking, e-commerce, and other postal services. It was founded in ...

, Member of the Board (until 2016)

Non-profit organizations

International Gender Champions International Gender Champions (IGC) is a network of female and male leaders of member states, international organizations, and civil society working for gender equality. It is an initiative of Women@TheTable, and was founded in 2015 by Caitlin Kr ...

(IGC), Member (since 2018) *

, chairman of the Advisory Board * European Strategy Forum, Co-chairman (jointly with Peter Ludlow and

Vladimir Drobnjak Vladimir Drobnjak (born 5 March 1956) is a Croatian diplomat who is the current Permanent Representative of Croatia to the United Nations, since 2013. Biography Born in Zagreb in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Drobnjak graduate ...

, since 2006) *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

(ECFR), Member of the Strategy Group of the Foreign Policy Scorecard * New Pact for Europe, Member of the Advisory Group *

World Justice Project The World Justice Project (WJP) is an international civil society organization with the stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world". It produces the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, a quantitative assessment t ...

, Honorary Co-chair *

(MPI), Member of the Transatlantic Council on Migration (since 2007) *

Portuguese Bar Association The Order of Attorneys of Portugal (), also known as the Portuguese Bar Association, is the public association to which all attorneys-at-law belong in Portugal, founded in 1926. Its early origins are found on a private association founded in 18 ...

, Member * Fundação Res Publica, Member of the Board of Directors *

Trilateral Commission The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...

, Member of the European Group *

European Policy Centre The European Policy Centre (EPC) is a Brussels-based not-for-profit think tank on European Union affairs, founded in 1997. Activities Under the presidency of Brigid Laffan, the EPC's Chief Executive is Fabian Zuleeg, a German economist. ...

, Chairman of the Governing Board (2005-2009), Member of the Strategic Council * Fundação Arpad Szenes e Vieira da Silva, President (2007-2010)

Recognition

* 2002 – Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria

Personal life

Vitorino is married and has two sons.

References

External links

European Commission profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitorino, Antonio 1957 births 20th-century Portuguese lawyers Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Living people Members of the 2nd Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 3rd Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 4th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 5th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 7th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 10th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) People from Lisbon Portuguese European commissioners Socialist Party (Portugal) politicians University of Lisbon alumni