Francisco Seixas da Costa

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Francisco Seixas da Costa, GCC, OIH (1948) is a Portuguese diplomat and former politician.

Born in Vila Real, Portugal. 1971 obtained a degree in Social and Political Sciences, Technical University of Lisbon.

1971 / 1975 - Worked in a bank

1975 – Joined the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1975 / 1976 – Department for Development Co-operation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Lisbon

1976 / 1979 – African Division, Department for Economic Affairs, MFA

1979 / 1982 – Deputy Head of Mission, Portuguese Embassy in Oslo

1982 / 1985 – Portuguese Embassy in Luanda, Political and Development Co-operation affairs

1986 / 1987 – Head of Division, EU Development Co-operation Affairs, MFA

1987 - Deputy Head of the Portuguese delegation, UNCTAD VII 1987 / 1990 – Adviser to the Secretary of State for Development Co-operation, MFA

1987 / 1989 - Head of the Portuguese negotiating team, Lomé IV Convention

1989 / 1990 – Director, Planning and Research Department, Institute for Economic Co-operation, MFA

1990 / 1994 – Deputy Head of Mission, Portuguese Embassy in London

1990 / 1993 – Deputy Permanent Representative of Portugal to the Western European Union (WEU)

1994 / 1995 – Deputy Director General for EU Affairs, MFA

1995 – Deputy Portuguese representative to the EU “Reflexion Group” to prepare the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) 1996

     1995 / 2001 - Secretary of State for European Affairs, Portuguese Government 

In charge of EU affairs, bilateral relations with the European countries, the EU Enlargement process, the Internal Market, the Mediterranean Co-operation, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the WTO and the Schengen Agreement.

Chairman of Portuguese governmental delegations to several countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America and to ministerial meetings of the Organisation for Security anda Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Western European Union (WEU), the Stability Pact for South-East Europe and implementation structures of Dayton/Paris Agreements, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (Singapore, Geneva, Seattle meetings), the Mediterranean Forum, the Barcelona process, the European Union (EU)-Gulf countries co-operation, EU-Mercosul co-operation, EU-S. José Group co-operation, EU-México co-operation, EU-Rio Group co-operation and EU-Andean Community co-operation.

1996 / 1997 - Portuguese chief negotiator of the Treaty of Amsterdam (IGC 1996)

1997 - President of the Schengen Agreement

1997 / 1999 - Head of the Portuguese negotiating team of the EU financial framework (2000/2006) – the “Agenda 2000”

2000 – In charge of the working program and political co-ordination of the Portuguese presidency of the EU

- President of the EU Internal Market Council of Ministers

- Chairman of the Intergovernmental Conference for the revision of the Treaty of European Union (IGC 2000)

- Portuguese chief negotiator of the Treaty of Nice

- Presided to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace Implementation Council, to the EU political dialogue with Albania, the FYR of Macedonia, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina and to EU missions to Turkey and Iran

  2001 / 2002 - Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations, New York

2001- Vice-President of the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) of the UN

2001 / 2002 - President of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial affairs) of the UN General Assembly

– Presided to the “troika” of UN observers (with Russia and USA) for the Angola Peace Process

- Member of the board of UNFIP (United Nations Fund for International Partnerships)

July 2002 - Vice-President elected to 57th UN General Assembly

      August 2002 / December 2005 – Permanent Representative of Portugal to the OSCE, Vienna

2002 – President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council, during the Portuguese Presidency of the organization.

2003 – Member of OSCE Troika and president of OSCE Contact Group with Asia

– Member of the "task force" to advise the Portuguese Prime Minister during the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) for the negotiation of the EU Constitutional Treaty

2003/2004 – Member of OSCE observation missions to Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and to partnership missions to Egypt, Japan, Jordania and Republic of Korea

                Since January 2005 – Portuguese Ambassador to Brazil

                                Other personal data

Francisco Seixas da Costa is married to Maria Virgínia Seixas da Costa, social worker. They have no children.

Between 1968 and 1973, he was elected to the direction of the Student’s Union; in 1968 and 1971 he was not allowed to take office for political reasons.

He worked within the Democratic Opposition during the legislative “elections” in 1969.

In 1974 he participated in the Democratic Revolution as conscript Army Officer, becoming advisor to the “Junta de Salvação Nacional” (National Salvation Junta). Also in 1974 he was among the founders of “Movimento da Esquerda Socialista” (Socialist Left Movement).

In 2001, the day after the defeat of “Partido Socialista” (Socialist Party) in the Portuguese elections, Francisco Seixas da Costa became member of the party.

In 1995/1996 he was Vice-President of the Portuguese Diplomats’ Union.

Francisco Seixas da Costa has given lectures on European Union and International Affairs in more than 30 countries.

In Portugal he has given lectures in several institutions and the following universities: Universidade de Lisboa (Lisbon), Universidade de Coimbra (Coimbra), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Lisbon), Universidade Autónoma (Lisbon), Universidade Lusíada (Lisbon), Universidade Católica (Lisbon), Universidade Nova (Lísbon), Universidade Lusíada (Porto), Universidade de Évora (Évora), Universidade do Algarve (Faro), Universidade de Aveiro (Aveiro), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Vila Real)

Lectures in foreign institutions: University of Columbia (NY, USA), City University (NY, USA), Harvard University (Boston, USA), Brown University (Providence, USA), European Institute (Florence, Italy), Collège d’Europe (Bruges, Belgium), Université Libre (Brussels, Belgium), European College (Natolin, Poland), Middle East Institute (Ankara, Turkey), Royal Institute for Foreign Affairs – Chatham House (London, UK), Wilton Park (Brighton, UK), Clingendael (The Hague, The Netherlands), Aspen Institute (Rome, Italy), Altana Foundation (Frankfurt, Germany), European Institute (Dublin, Ireland), European Institute (Bratislava, Slovakia), Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels, Belgium, and Riga, Latvia), Symi Symposium (Greece), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Santiago, Chile), École Militaire (Paris, France), International Peace Academy (NY, USA), IFANS (Seoul, R. of Korea), Diplomatic Academy (Vienna, Austria), Fundação Joaquim Nabuco (Recife, Brazil), Fundação Getúlio Vargas (São Paulo, Brazil), Rio Branco Institute (Brasília, Brazil), Universidade de Brasília (Brazil), PUC - Pontifícia Universidade Católica (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Universidade Federal do Ceará (Fortaleza, Brazil), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), Universidade Católica (Brasília, Brazil), etc.

Ambassador Francisco Seixas da Costa is Associate Professor of Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas (Lisbon). He is also member of the Consultative Board of the magazine “Política Internacional”, in Portugal.

Decorations: Grã-Cruz da Ordem Militar de Cristo, Portugal; Grande Oficial da Ordem do Mérito, Portugal; Oficial da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique, Portugal; Cavaleiro da Ordem Militar de Cristo, Portugal; Grã-Cruz da Ordem de Leopoldo II, Belgium; Grã-Cruz da Ordem do Mérito Civil, Spain; Grã-Cruz da Ordem de Honra, Greece; Grã-Cruz da Ordem da Estrela Romena, Romania; Grande Oficial da Ordem Nacional do Mérito, France; Grande Oficial da Ordem do Mérito, Poland; Comendador da Ordem de S. Miguel e S. Jorge, UK; Oficial da Ordem de Santo Olavo, Norway.

Prizes: In 1996 he received the Prize "Procópio - Político do Ano” (Politician of the Year); in 2006 he received the Prize "Personality of the Year", by the Portuguese-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, for his contribution to the development of the economic relations between Portugal and Brazil.

Languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish

Hobbies: reading, restaurants, jazz and friends

                        Bibliography of Francisco Seixas da Costa

(does not include texts published in daily or weekly newspapers)

• “O Caso República”, with António Pinto Rodrigues, ed. aut., Lisbon, 1975

• “The Opposition to the ‘New State´ and the British Attitude at the End of the Second World War: Hope and Disillusion”, in “Portuguese Studies”, Vol. 10, King’s College, London, 1994

• “Tratado de Amesterdão – História de uma Negociação”, in “Política Internacional”, nº 15/16, Lisbon, 1997

• “UEM – Um Projecto Político-Económico numa Europa Solidária”, in “Europa – novas fronteiras”, nº 1, Centro Jacques Delors, Lisbon, 1997

• “Portugal and the New Europe”, in “CFSP Forum”, nº1/97, Institut fur Europaische Politik, Bonn, 1997

• “Creating a flexible approach in tune with EU’s ethos”, in “The Parliamentarian Monitor”, London, February 1997

• “Direitos Cívicos e Sociais e o Tratado da União Europeia”, in “Desenvolvimento”, nº 8, Instituto de Estudos para o Desenvolvimento, Lisbon, 1997

• “A Perspectiva Portuguesa da Negociação do Tratado de Amesterdão”, in “Europa – novas fronteiras”, nº 2, Centro Jacques Delors, Lisbon, 1997

• “Portugal e o Desafio Europeu”, in “Nação e Defesa”, nº85, Instituto de Defesa Nacional, Lisbon, 1998

• “Reasons for sharing the Enlargement burden”, in “European Voice”, Brussels, March 1998

• “A Reforma das Instituições Comunitárias”, in “Política Internacional”, nº 17, Lisbon, 1998

• “O Tratado de Amesterdão e a Segurança Comum Europeia”, in “Europa – novas fronteiras”, nº 3, Centro Jacques Delors, Lisbon, 1998

• “O que é a Agenda 2000”, in “Agenda 2000 da UE: as suas implicações para Portugal”, Conselho Económico e Social, Lisbon, 1998

• “O Alargamento da União Europeia”, in “O Economista”, nº 8, Ordem dos Economistas Portugueses, Lisbon, 1998

• “Os Desafios do Alargamento”, in “O Desafio Europeu - Passado, Presente e Futuro”, Fundação de Serralves, Porto, 1998

• “O Projecto Europeu: Um Olhar de Portugal”, in “O Desafio Europeu - Passado, Presente e Futuro”, Fundação de Serralves, Porto, 1998

• “União Económico-Monetária - um Projecto Político-Económico numa Europa Solidária”, in “Portugal Socialista”, nº 218, Lisbon, 1998

• “Para uma Cidadania de Novo Tipo”, in “Europa - Novas Fronteiras”, nº 4, ed. Centro Jacques Delors, Lisbon, 1998

• "Os Fundamentos da Acção Económica Externa", in "Internacionalização - Uma Opção Estratégica para a Economia e as Empresas Portuguesas", ed. FIEP, Lisboa 1999

• “O Mercado Interno e a Harmonização Legislativa”, in “O Economista”, nº 12, Ordem dos Economistas Portugueses, Lisbon, 1999

• “Presidência da União Europeia”, in “Economia Pura”, nº 9, Lisbon, 1999

• “Vésperas de Abril”, in “Camões – Revista de Letras e Culturas Lusófonas”, nº 5, Abril/Junho, Instituto Camões, Lisbon, 1999

• “Desafios de Portugal na Agenda da União Europeia”, in “A Diplomacia Portuguesa face ao Século XXI”, ed. Instituto Diplomático do MNE, Lisbon, 1999

• “A Esquerda e a Nova Europa”, in “Portugal Socialista”, nº 219, Partido Socialista, Lisbon, 1999

• “A Europa e a Política Externa portuguesa”, in “Política Internacional”, nº 20, Lisbon, 1999

• “Uma Reforma Indispensável ?”, in “Europa – Novas Fronteiras”, Centro de Informação Jacques Delors, nº 5, Lisbon, 1999

• “A Europa e a Política Externa portuguesa”, in “Lusíada”, nº 1, Universidade Lusíada, Porto, 2000

• “Perspectivas de Evolucion del Proyecto de Integracion Europea”, in “Diplomacia”, nº 84, Academia Diplomática de Chile, Santiago do Chile, 2000

• “Presidência Portuguesa da UE e da UEO em 2000”, in “ A Diplomacia portuguesa: perspectivas e prioridades”, Instituto Diplomático do Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Lisbon, 2000

• “The Northern Dimension after Helsinky”, in “Foreign Ministers’ Conference on Northern Dimension”, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Helsinky, 2000

• “As Negociações da Conferência Intergovernamental e o Equilíbrio de Poderes”, in “A Conferência Intergovernamental”, Conselho Económico e Social, Lisbon, 2000

• “La Politique Européenne du Portugal”, in “Rencontres Européennes de Pologne”, Fondation Polonaise Robert Schuman, Warsaw, 2000

• “A European Vocation”, in “Portugal – A European story”, Instituto de Estudos Estratégicos/Principia, Cascais, 2000

• “The Portuguese Presidency and the Intergovernmental Conference”, in “Rethinking the European Union – IGC 2000 and Beyond”, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, 2000

• “Europa: o Fim da História ?”, in “Política Internacional”, nº 22, Lisbon, 2000

• “Europa 2000 - A Presidência Portuguesa”, in “Elo - Cooperação e Desenvolvimento”, nº 32, Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Económico e a Cooperação”, Lisbon, 2000

• “Presidência portuguesa da União Europeia: um Balanço”, in “O Economista”, nº 13, Ordem dos Economistas Portugueses, Lisbon, 2000

• “Uma Presidência bem sucedida e eficaz”, in “Portugal Socialista”, nº 222, Partido Socialista, Lisbon, 2000

• “A Imagem de Portugal na União Europeia”, in “A imagem de Portugal”, Instituto Diplomático do Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Lisbon, 2001

• “Portugal e o Tratado de Nice – Notas sobre a Estratégia Negocial Portuguesa”, in “Negócios Estrangeiros”, nº 1, Lisbon, 2001

• “O Potencial da Europa média”, in “O Mundo em Português”, nº 16, Instituto de Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais, Lisbon, 2001

• “The Interests of Small and Large Member States in the context of Institutional Reform”, in “ Europe ’s constitution – a framework for the future of the Union ”, Herbert Quandt Foundation, Bad Homburg , 2001

• “Europa: o Fim da História ?”, in “Política Externa”, nº 3, vol. 10, São Paulo, 2001/2002

• “The Role of the euro in the balanced development of World Trade”, in “The Euro and the World”, Ed. Almedina, Coimbra , 2002

• “A Europa nas Nações Unidas”, in “A União Europeia: os caminhos depois de Nice”, número 12/13 (2001/2002), “Temas de Integração”, ed. Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra

• “Fundos comunitários”, in “Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro – Conversas sobre o Passado e o Futuro”, org. Pedro Garcias, Público e AMTMAD, Lisbon/Bragança, 2002

• “A Portuguese View”, in “International Terrorism: World Viewpoints”, ed. by K.R. Gupta, New Delhi, Atlantic, 2002.

• "Diplomacia Europeia - Instituições, Alargamento e o Futuro da União", Publicações Dom Quixote, Lisboa, 2002

• “Os Desafios ao Multilateralismo”, in “Janus 2004 – Anuário de Relações Exteriores”, Público/Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Lisbon, 2003

• “The OSCE Confidence and Security Building Measures”, in “Aplicability of OSCE CSBM's in Northeast Asia Revisited”, ed. Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, Seoul, 2003

• “Da Democracia na Europa”, in “Ideias à Esquerda”, nº 2, Lisbon, 2003

• “As Novas Fronteiras da Rússia”, in “O Mundo em Português”, nº 53, IEEI, Lisbon, February 2004

• “Portugal e o Tratado Constitucional Europeu”, in “Relações Internacionais”, nº 2, Lisbon, June 2004

• “A Europa e o ‘Amigo Americano’ ”, in “Egoísta”, nº 16, Lisbon, 2004

• “Central Asia – Not Always a Silk Road to Democracy”, in “OSCE Magazine”, OSCE, Vienna, July 2004

• “A PESC e o Alargamento da União Europeia”, in “Europa – Novas Fronteiras”, nº 15, Centro Jacques Delors, Lisbon, 2004

• “OSCE – Retrato Institucional e Funcional”, in “Negócios Estrangeiros”, nº 7, Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Lisbon, 2004

• “OSCE and the Fight against Terrorism”, in “The Search for Effective Conflict Prevention in the New Security Circumstances”, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Tokyo, 2004

• “As Novas Ameaças à Segurança”, in “Revista Militar”, nº 6/7, Lisbon, 2005

"Portugal e a PESC", in "Janus-2006 - Anuário de Relações Exteriores", Público/Universidade Autónoma, Lisbon, 2003

"A Europa nas Nações Unidas", in "O Portugueses nas Nações Unidas - os 60 anos da ONU", Branco, Carlos Martins and Garcia, Francisco Proença Garcia (ed.), Prefácio, Lisbon, 2006

• “Uma Segunda Opinião – Notas de Política Externa e Diplomacia”, Dom Quixote, Lisbon, 2006

• "Uma Constituição indispensável ?"", in "Portugal no Futuro da Europa", Parlamento Europeu/Comissão Europeia, Lisboa, 2006

In Portugal, Francisco Seixas da Costa published texts in “Acção Socialista”, “Açoreano Oriental”, “Atlantis”, “Brasil-Europa”, “Camões”, “A Capital”, “O Comércio do Funchal”, “Desenvolvimento”, “Diário de Notícias”, “Diário de Notícias” (Madeira), “Diário Económico”, “Economia Pura”, “O Economista”, “& Etc”, “Egoísta”, “Elo – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento”, “Europa – Novas Fronteiras”, “Expresso”, “Euronotícias”, “Exame”, “Ideias à Esquerda”, “O Independente”, “Janus”, “Jornal de Negócios”, “Jornal de Notícias”, “Jornal Europeu”, “Lusíada”, “O Mundo em Português”, “Nação e Defesa”, “Negócios Estrangeiros”, “País Europeu”, “Política Internacional”, “Portugal Socialista”, “Primeiro de Janeiro”, “Público”, Relações Internacionais”, “República”, “Revista Militar”, “Semanário”, “Semanário Transmontano”, “Tempo”, “Visão”, “A Voz de Trás-os-Montes”, etc.

He also published texts in “Le Monde” (France), “El País” (Spain), “Mercurio” (Chile), “Estado de S. Paulo” (Brazil), "Folha de S. Paulo" (Brazil), "A Tarde" (Brazil), "Correio Brasiliense" (Brazil), "O Globo" (Brazil), “Politika” (Poland), “Diplomacia” (Chile) “Portuguese Studies” (UK), “Política Externa” (Brazil), “European Voice” (Belgium), “The Parliamentary Monitor” (UK), “CSFP Forum” (Germany), “OSCE Magazine” (Austria), etc.