Honorary Leaders of the EMI

Honorary Council

Massimo D’Alema (Italian, 1949): Member of the Italian Parliament (1987-2013), Leader of PDS-DS (1994-1999), Prime Minister of Italy (1998-2000), Member of the European Parliament (2004-2006), and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy (2006-2008). He is President of the Foundation of European Progressive Studies (the PES Foundation) since 2010.

Joaquín Almunia (Spanish, 1948): European Commission Vice President and European Commissioner for Competition (2010 – 2014), European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs (2004 – 2010), Leader of the PSOE (1997 – 2000), Minister for Public Administration in successive PSOE governments (1986 -1991), Member of the Spanish Parliament (1979 – 2004), Minister for Employment and Social Affairs (1982 -1986), Chief Economist at the UGT – a Spanish trade union – (1976 – 1979).

José Manuel Barroso (Portuguese, 1956): Minister of Foreign Affairs (1992-1995), President of the Social Democratic Party (1999-2004), Prime Minister of Portugal (2002-2004) and President of the European Commission (2004-2014).

Josep Borrell (Spanish, 1947): Member of the European Parliament (2004-2009) and President of the European Parliament (2004-2007).

Mercedes Bresso (Italian, 1944): President of the Piedmont Region (2005-2010), President of the Committee of the Regions (2010-2012), Member of the European Parliament (2004-2009, re-elected in 2014), President of the Union of European Federalists (2006-2008).

John Gerard Bruton (Irish, 1947): is an Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. A minister under two Taoisigh, Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald, Bruton held a number of the top posts in Irish government, including Minister for Finance (1981–1982 and 1986–1987), and Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983–1986). He became leader of Fine Gael in 1990 and served as Taoiseach from 1994 until 1997, leading the Rainbow Coalition government of Fine Gael–Labour Party–Democratic Left. Bruton also served as the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004–2009, and is a former Vice-President of the European People’s Party (EPP).

Jerzy Buzek (Polish, 1940): Prime Minister of Poland (1997-2001), Member of the European Parliament (since 2004) and President of the European Parliament (2009-2012).

Enrique Barón Crespo (Spanish, 1944): Member of the Spanish Parliament (1977-1987), Minister of Transport, Tourism and Communications (1982-1985), Member of the European Parliament (1987-2009) and its President (1989-1992). Was President of the European Movement International (1987-1989) and is the current President of the Board of Directors of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and of the European Foundation for Information Society. He takes seat in the European Steering Committee of Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute; is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Global Panel Worldwide; and is a Gold Mercury International Advisory Board member.

Pat Cox (Irish, 1952): Member of Parliament (1992-1994), Member of the European Parliament (1989-2004), Leader of the ELDR Group (1998-2002) and President of the European Parliament (2002-2004), President of the EMI (2005-2011).

Jacques Delors (French, 1925): Member of the European Parliament (1979-1981), Minister of Finance (1981-1983) and President of the European Commission (1985-1995). Founder and President of “Notre Europe” (since 1996) and Member of “The Spinelli Group” since 2010.

Anna Diamantopoulou (born 26 February 1959 in Kozani, Greece) is a former European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, a post she held between 1999–2004. She was also Greek Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs from 2009 to 2012. She is currently President of the Greek think tank “TO DIKTIO”.

Andrew Duff (British, 1950): Member of the European Parliament (1999-2014), President of the Union of European Federalists (2008-2013).

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen (Danish, 1941): Foreign Minister of Denmark (1982-1993), Leader of Venstre party (1984-1998), President of ELDR (1995-2000), Chairman of the Baltic Development Forum (since 1998), Honorary Chairman of BDF (since 2011), International Crisis Group Senior Advisor, as well as board member of several Danish and international companies.

Assunção Esteves (Portuguese, 1956): Member of the Portuguese Parliament (1987-1989 and 2002-2004), Judge of the Constitutional Court (1989-1998), Member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (2002-2005), Member of the European Parliament (2004-2009), President of the EM in Portugal (2007-2011). She became the first ever female President of the Portuguese Parliament in 2011.

Nicole Fontaine (French, 1942): Member of the European Parliament (1984-2002 and 2004-2009) for European People’s Party, and President of the European Parliament (1999-2002), French Minister-Delegate of Industry in the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry (2002-2004).

José María Gil-Robles (Spanish, 1935): Member of the European Parliament for European People’s Party (1989-2004) and President of the European Parliament (1997-1999). President of the European Movement International (1999-2005), President of the President of the European University Council for Jean Monnet Programmes (2001), President of the Association of former deputies of the European Parliament (2006-2010), President of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe, Lausanne since 2009.

Werner Hoyer (German, 1951): Member of the Bundestag (since 1987), Secretary General of FDP (1993-1994), ELDR Vice President (2000-2005), Minister of State at the Foreign Office (1994-1998 and 2009-2011), President of the European Investment Bank (since January 2012).

Danuta Hübner (Polish, 1948): United Nations Under-Secretary General (2000-2001), Minister for European Affairs (2003-2004), European Commissioner (2004-2009), Member of the European Parliament (since 2009).

Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Polish, 1954): Minister for Youth Affairs (1985-1987), President of the Polish Olympic Committee (1988-1991), Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (1990-1995), Member of the Parliament (1991-1995), President of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (since 2008).

Catherine Lalumière (French, 1935): Member of the French National Assembly (1981-1989), Secretary of State/Minister (1981-1986), Secretary General of the Council of Europe (1989-1994), Member of the European Parliament (1994-2004) and Vice President of the European Parliament (2001-2004). She was Vice-president of the EMI, is President of the Maison de l’Europe of Paris and President of the European Association of the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe since 2008.

Lord John Monks (British, 1945): General Secretary of TUC – Trades Union Congress (1993-2003), General Secretary of ETUC (2003-2011), Vice President of the EMI (2008-2011), Member of the House of Lords (since 2010).

Mario Monti (Italian, 1943): European Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation (1995-1999), European Commissioner for Competition (1999-2004), Senator (since 2011), Prime Minister of Italy (2011-2013).

Ewa Osniecka-Tamecka (Polish, 1962): Undersecretary of State/Secretary of State at Office for European Integration and acting Chair of the European Committee of the Polish Council of Ministers (2006-2007) and Chief Negotiator/Sherpa. In 2008-2010 she was a member of the Steering Committee of the European Investment Bank. Since 2007 she is Vice Rector of the Natolin (Warsaw) campus of the College of Europe.

Hans-Gert Pöttering (German, 1945): Member of the European Parliament for the European People’s Party (since 1979) and European Parliament President (2007-2009), Chairman of the EPP Group (1999-2007), Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (since 2009), Deputy Chairman of Advisory Board of A Soul for Europe, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for establishing a “House of European History” (since 2008).

Viviane Reding (Luxembourgish, 1951): President of the Luxembourg Union of Journalists (1986-1998), Member of the European Parliament (1989-1999, re-elected in 2014), European Commissioner for Education and Culture (1999-2004), European Commissioner for Information Society and Media (2004-2010) and Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (2010-2014).

Maria João Rodrigues (Portuguese, 1955): academic specialized in European affairs, known as the “mother of the Lisbon Strategy”. Minister for Qualifications and Employment (1995-1997), she has since then worked as senior adviser both at the Portuguese and the European levels, to people like former Prime Ministers António Guterres and José Sócrates, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, and PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. Elected as a MEP in May 2014.

Gesine Schwan (German, 1943): Political Science Professor at the Free University of Berlin since 1977 and President of the Viadrina European University – Frankfurt (1999-2008). Member of the SPD, she was its candidate for the German Presidential elections twice (2004 and 2009). Member of “The Spinelli Group” since 2010.

Karel Schwarzenberg (Czech, 1937): Chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (1984-1991), Senator (2004-2010), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007-2009 and 2010-2013), Member of the Parliament (since 2010).

Lauri Tierala (Finnish): Secretary General of the European Movement in Finland (2006-2008). Senior Political Adviser to Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade (2008-2014), Special Adviser on EU Affairs to the Prime Minister (since 2014).

Teija Tiilikainen (Finnish): Chairperson of the Finnish International Studies Association (1994-1996), Political Science Professor at the University of Helsinki since 1997, Chairperson of the Forum for European Security (1999-2001), Special Representative of the Prime Minister in the Convention on the Future of Europe (2002-2003), State Secretary (2007-2008), Director of the Network for European Studies at Helsinki University since 2003, Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs since 2010.

Herman Van Rompuy (Belgian, 1947): Member of the Belgian Senate (1988-1995), Minister of the Budget (1993-1999), Member of the Chamber of Representatives (1999-2008) and its President (2007-2008), Prime Minister of Belgium (2008-2009), President of the European Council (2009-2014).

Guy Verhofstadt (Belgian, 1953): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget (1985-1987) and Prime Minister of Belgium (1999-2008). He is Member of the European Parliament and Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (since 2009). Member of “The Spinelli Group” since 2010.

Monika Wulf-Mathies (German, 1942): Chair of the German Public Services and Transport Workers’ Union (1982-1994), EU Commissioner in charge of Regional Policies (1995-1999), President of EM-Germany (2000-2006).

Honorary Presidents

• Enrique BARON CRESPO (Chair of Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists)
• Georges BERTHOIN (Former Chief Representative of the Commission of the European Community to the United Kingdom)
• Pat COX (Former President of the European Parliament and of the  European Movement)
• Maurice FAURE (Former Minister of the Republic and member of the Constitutional Council of France)
• José Maria GIL-ROBLES (Former President of the European Parliament)
• Valéry GISCARD d’ESTAING (Former President of the French Republic, Former President of the Convention for the Future of Europe)
• Mario SOARES (Former President of the Republic of Portugal)

Honarary Secretaries General

• Pier Virgilio DASTOLI

• Thomas JANSEN

• J.H.C. MOLENAAR

• Gian Piero ORSELLO