Carlos Moedas

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Félix and the second or paternal family name is Moedas.

Carlos Moedas
Moedas in 2023
Mayor of Lisbon
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 October 2021 (2021-10-18)
DeputyFilipe Anacoreta Correia
Preceded byFernando Medina
European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation
In office
1 November 2014 – 30 November 2019
PresidentJean-Claude Juncker
Preceded byMáire Geoghegan-Quinn
Succeeded byMariya Gabriel
Secretary of State Assistant to the Prime Minister
In office
21 June 2011 – 10 September 2014
Prime MinisterPedro Passos Coelho
Preceded byJoão Almeida Ribeiro
Succeeded byMariana Vieira da Silva
Member of the Assembly of the Republic
In office
20 June 2011 – 21 June 2011
ConstituencyBeja
Personal details
Born
Carlos Manuel Félix Moedas

(1970-08-10) 10 August 1970 (age 54)
Beja, Portugal
Political partySocial Democratic
Spouse
Céline Dora Judith Abecassis Moedas
​
​
(m. 2000)​
Children3
EducationUniversity of Lisbon
Harvard University

Carlos Manuel Félix Moedas (born 10 August 1970) is a Portuguese civil engineer, economist and politician of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who is the current Mayor of Lisbon.

From 2014 until 2019, Moedas served as European Commissioner covering the portfolio of Research, Science and Innovation under the leadership of President Jean-Claude Juncker.[1] Between 2011 and 2014 he served as Secretary of State in the XIX Constitutional Government of Portugal.

In March 2021, Moedas announced his candidacy as Mayor of Lisbon in the 2021 local elections, and was elected on 26 September of the same year.[2]

Early life and education

Moedas was born to a communist journalist and a seamstress[3] in Beja, Alentejo, southern Portugal, in 1970. He studied at Lisbon University, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Civil Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico. He spent his final year studying at the ENPC (Paris) via the Erasmus Programme. He was one of the first Portuguese students to undertake an Erasmus exchange.[4]

Professional career

After leaving university, Moedas worked as a project manager for the Suez Group in France between 1993 and 1998. He then took postgraduate studies at Harvard Business School, graduating in 2000 with the degree of MBA,[5] after which he came back to Europe to work in mergers and acquisitions for Goldman Sachs. He then worked at Eurohypo Investment Bank in its Real Estate Investment Banking Division, before returning, in August 2004, to Portugal, when Moedas joined the real estate consulting company Aguirre Newman Portugal[6] (now Savills Portugal[7]) becoming Managing Partner until 2008, when he set up his own investment management company, Crimson Investment Management.[8]

Political career

Following the Eurozone crisis, Moedas was appointed coordinator of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Economic Research Unit. He and Eduardo Catroga led PSD negotiations in the run-up to Portugal's 2011 State Budget, following which he was selected by PSD to contest the Beja constituency in the legislative elections held on the 5th of June 2011.

Moedas was elected to Parliament, becoming the first PSD Member of Parliament for that district since 1995.[9] The day after entering Parliament, on 21 June 2011, the Prime Minister appointed him to his Cabinet in the XIX Constitutional Government as Secretary of State.[10]

Moedas oversaw EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), the agency created to monitor and control the implementation of the structural reforms agreed in the context of the assistance programme by a troika composed of the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.[11]

In 2014, Pedro Passos Coelho, Prime Minister of Portugal, nominated him as European Commissioner,[12] and Moedas' name was approved by EC President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 September. On 1 November 2014, Moedas became European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation.[citation needed]

In March 2021, Moedas announced his candidacy as Mayor of Lisbon in the 2021 local elections, and was elected on 26 September of the same year. He took office on 18 October 2021.[13]

Other activities

  • European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member (since 2021)[14]
  • Aga Khan University, Member of the Chancellor’s Commission (since 2021)[15]
  • Africa Europe Foundation (AEF), Member of the High-Level Group of Personalities on Africa-Europe Relations (since 2020)[16]
  • Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2020)[17]
  • UNESCO, Member of the Advisory Board of the "Futures of Education" Initiative (since 2019)[18][19]
  • Jacques Delors Institute, Vice-President (since 2020), Member of the Board of Directors (since 2019)[20]
  • Re-Imagine Europa, Member of the Advisory Board[21]

Electoral history

Lisbon City Council election, 2021

Main article: 2021 Lisbon local election
Ballot: 26 September 2021
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
PSD/CDS–PP/Alliance/MPT/PPM Carlos Moedas 83,185 34.3 7 +1
PS/Livre Fernando Medina 80,907 33.3 7 –1
CDU João Ferreira 25,550 10.5 2 ±0
BE Beatriz Gomes Dias 15,057 6.2 1 ±0
Chega Nuno Graciano 10,730 4.4 0 new
IL Bruno Horta Soares 10,213 4.2 0 new
PAN Manuela Gonzaga 6,625 2.7 1 ±0
Other parties 3,031 1.3 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 7,445 3.1 – –
Turnout 242,743 50.99 17 ±0
Source: Autárquicas 2021[22]

Honours and awards

  • Member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering (2014)
  • Commander of the Spanish Order of Civil Merit by the King Felipe VI of Spain (2015)
  • Honorary Doctorate in Laws by the University of Cork (2016) [23]
  • Honorary Doctorate by ESCP Europe - École supérieure de commerce de Paris (2018)
  • Honorary Fellow of the AAS - African Academy of Sciences (2018)
  • Gold Medal from the Portuguese Order of Engineering (2019)
  • University of Coimbra Prize (2020)
  • Honorary Doctorate by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (2022)
  • Honorary Doctorate by the West University of Timisoara (2022)
  • Knight of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of Pope St Sylvester (2023)
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique (2023)
  • Distinguished Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires (2024)
  • Civic Intervention Award from the Order of Engineers (2024)

Publications

See also

References

  1. ^ European Commission (10 September 2014). "The Juncker Commission: A strong and experienced team standing for change" (Press release).
  2. ^ Sofia Rodrigues (4 March 2021), Carlos Moedas: "Foi uma decisão de vida, reflectida e pensada" Público.
  3. ^ Nicholas Hirst (February 3, 2015), Carlos Moedas: Convincing investor Politico Europe.
  4. ^ Nicholas Hirst (February 3, 2015), Carlos Moedas: Convincing investor Politico Europe.
  5. ^ Biography in the Centre for European Studies
  6. ^ www.aguirrenewman.es,
  7. ^ www.savills.pt,
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link),Vida Imobiliária, April 2009 (in Portuguese)
  9. ^ "Carlos Moedas" Archived September 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Diário de Notícias, 27 junho 2011 (in Portuguese)
  10. ^ Profile of Carlos Moedas on the Portuguese Government Website
  11. ^ "Portugal presses on with reforms". Financial Times. 1 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Passos indica Carlos Moedas para comissário europeu - Politica - DN".
  13. ^ Carlos Moedas toma posse como presidente da Câmara de Lisboa a 18 de outubro, SIC Notícias 05.10.2021
  14. ^ Members European Council on Foreign Relations.
  15. ^ Commission Decision on Former Commissioner Carlos Moedas’ post term of office professional activity for the Aga Khan University European Commission, July 5, 2021.
  16. ^ High-Level Group of Personalities on Africa-Europe Relations Archived 11 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Africa Europe Foundation (AEF).
  17. ^ Friends of Europe appoints 29 new members to its Board of Trustees Friends of Europe, press release of June 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Decision of the European Commission on Commissioner Carlos Moedas' post term of office professional activity as member of the Advisory Board of the UNESCO "Futures of Education" initiative European Commission, 13 November 2019.
  19. ^ Cristina Gonzalez (November 27, 2019), Out of Commission: Team Juncker moves on Politico Europe.
  20. ^ Cristina Gonzalez (November 27, 2019), Out of Commission: Team Juncker moves on Politico Europe.
  21. ^ Advisory Board[permanent dead link‍] Re-Imagine Europa.
  22. ^ "Comissão Nacional de Eleições Mapa Oficial n.º 1-B/2021" (PDF). Diário da República. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  23. ^ University College Cork, "EU Commissioner honoured by UCC" Archived 2016-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, Honorary Doctorate in Laws by the University of Cork (2016), 4 November 2016
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carlos Moedas.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Lisbon
2021–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Portuguese European Commissioner
2014–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded byas European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation
2014–2019 		Succeeded byas European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth