Posted on 28 June 2018
The Historical Archives of the European Union is releasing an oral history interview with José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014.
José Manuel Barroso visited the Historical Archives of the European Union on 20 April 2018 and was interviewed, as part of the oral history initiatives of the Archives, by Benedetto Zaccaria, research associate for the PanEur1970s project.
The private interview took place in the framework of a larger series of events titled “Leaders Beyond the State” where all former presidents of European institutions are invited to the European University Institute for a public interview to record their experiences as leaders in transnational government. The series of interviews is organized by the School of Transnational Governance at the EUI, in collaboration with the Department of History and Civilization and the Historical Archives of the European Union.
The interview is now available in our holdings, as part of the oral history project “Leaders Beyond the State” and may be consulted by researchers interested in the history of European integration. It gives insight into Barroso’s experiences as a national and transnational leader as well as his views on Portuguese politics, the challenges faced by the European Commission and the inner workings of European institutions.
You can access the interview here.