A conversation with the former President of the European Commission on geopolitics, health, Europe-Africa relations and the role of Academia.
As the global balance of power shifts and the liberal international order weakens, Europe stands at a critical juncture. How can it uphold democratic values, stay competitive, and assert strategic autonomy amid rising geopolitical, technological, and financial pressures?
The Merode is honoured to host José Manuel Durão Barroso — former President of the European Commission and Prime Minister of Portugal, now Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and GAVI – The Vaccine Alliance.
Barroso brings a rare, multifaceted perspective: he led the EU’s largest-ever enlargement, led the EU’s response to the global financial crisis, and now works at the intersection of global finance, public health, and geostrategic foresight.
Fabio Bargiacchi, Founder and Executive Director of the European Centre for Electoral Support will moderate the conversation.
Join us for a discussion with one of Europe’s most respected voices — offering rare insight into the evolving nexus of diplomacy, markets, global health, Africa-Europe relations, and the technological challenges shaping our century.
speaker
José Manuel Durão Barroso, currently Chairman of the Board of GAVI and of the International Advisers of Goldman Sachs, is former President of the European Commission where he completed two mandates between 2004 and 2014.
He’s a former Prime Minister of Portugal where he served in different government positions for twelve years including as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Secretary of State for Home Affairs.
As President of the European Commission, he led the integration of new members ( from 15 to 28 countries ) in the European Union, he had a prominent role in the response to the great financial crisis post-2008 and in the negotiations for a new institutional arrangement for the Union, the Treaty of Lisbon. On behalf of the EU he received the Nobel Peace Prize, 2012.
His academic appointments include Visiting Professor at Georgetown University, Princeton University and the Graduate lnstitute for International Studies in Geneva. He is currently Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal (Director of its Centre of European Studies) and at the European University Institute, School of Transnational Governance, Florence. He’s also nonresident scholar at Princeton University, where is a member of the Advisory Council of the Liechtenstein Institute. He is Chairman of the General Assembly of the Portuguese Diaspora and Chairman of the EuroAfrican Forum organized by this association. José Manuel Durão Barroso graduated in Law from the University of Lisbon and completed a Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Geneva and other postgraduate degrees in International Relations and European Studies. He was distinguished with more than 30 doctorate honoris causa from universities around the world and received some of the highest State decorations from countries like Portugal, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Timor Leste and many others.
moderator
Fabio Bargiacchi is a global leader in electoral assistance and democratization, with almost three decades of experience in supporting democratic processes worldwide. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES, www.eces.eu), established in 2010 and now one of the world’s leading organizations in electoral assistance. ECES is mostly funded by the EU and EU member states in order to facilitate the electoral cooperation with their partner countries also via leadership and capacity development, mediation and political dialogue. A seasoned practitioner, Bargiacchi has worked with major international organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations, and the OSCE, holding senior roles in electoral support missions across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. From 2004 to 2010, he served both the EU and UNDP headquarters in Brussels as Coordinator of the Joint EC-UNDP Task Force on Electoral Assistance, where he oversaw projects totaling over €600 million. His career highlights also include spearheading capacity development initiatives like the “Leadership and Conflict Management Skills for Electoral Stakeholders, (LEAD)” and and the “Leadership & Artificial Intelligence Skills for Electoral Stakeholers (LEAD AI)” cascade training programmes. He has published extensively on electoral processes, technology, and electoral conflict prevention.
