Maria João Rodrigues
Maria João Rodrigues | |
|---|---|
| President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies | |
| Acting July 2017 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 2 July 2014 – 1 July 2019 | |
| Constituency | Portugal |
| Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | |
| In office 7 March 2018 – 20 March 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Gianni Pittella |
| Succeeded by | Udo Bullmann |
| Minister for Qualification and Employment | |
| In office 28 October 1995 – 25 November 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | José Falcão e Cunha |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1955 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Relatives | Mariana Mortágua (cousin) Joana Mortágua (cousin) |
| Education | University Institute of Lisbon Pantheon-Sorbonne University |
| Website | Official website |
Maria João Fernandes Rodrigues GOIH (born 25 September 1955) is a Portuguese academic and politician who served as Minister of Employment in Portugal and was a Member of the European Parliament. She was Vice-President of the Group of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) from 2014 until 2019. Since 2017, Rodrigues is President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS).
Her political career began as Minister of Employment of Portugal in the first government of Prime Minister António Guterres (1995–1997) and she was policy maker working in several posts in the European Institutions since 2000, most notably in the leading teams of EU Council Presidencies. She is an expert on EU political economy and has served as Special Advisor to a number of elected representatives at both Portuguese and EU level, in particular to António Guterres, the current Secretary General of United Nations, and to the former President of the Party of European Socialists (Poul Nyrup Rasmussen).
In 2014, Rodrigues was elected Member of the European Parliament, integrating the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) - the second most important EP Group, with 190 members coming from the 28 Member States, which elected her in 2014 as Vice-president. As S&D Vice-President, she was in charge of general coordination and interface with the other EU institutions and member of the Committees of Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON).