José Manuel Barroso, former European Commission President

José Manuel Barroso is the immediate Past President of the European Commission. He served two terms, from 2004 to 2014, with the European Council unanimously nominating him for a second term in June 2009, and re election, by an absolute majority in the European Parliament, following in September that year. Mr Barroso’s political career spans three decades. He held the office of Prime Minister of Portugal from April 2002 to July 2004, prior to serving as President of the European Commission.