Francisco Seixas da Costa

Francisco Seixas da Costa

Francisco Seixas da Costa, GCC, CMG, (Vila Real, 1948) is a former Portuguese diplomat. He was member of the Portuguese government. Having retired from the civil service (2013), he is now invited professor in an university, is regularly present in the media and works as consultant in the private sector.

Main official functions

• 1971/75 - Employee in a State bank
• 1975 - Career diplomat, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• 1979/82 - Embassy of Portugal in Oslo, Norway;
• 1982/86 - Embassy of Portugal in Luanda, Angola;
• 1986/87 - Head of Division, European Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lisbon;
• 1987/90 - Adviser to the Secretary of State for Development Co-operation, Lisbon;
• 1990/94 - Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Portugal in London, UK;
• 1994/95 - Deputy Director-General for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lisbon;
• 1995/01 - Secretary of State (Deputy Foreign Minister) for European Affairs, Lisbon;
• 2001/02 - Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York;
• 2002/04 - Permanent Representative to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Vienna;
• 2004/08 - Ambassador to Brazil.
• 2009/13 - Ambassador to France and, since 2010, also to Monaco.
• 2012/13 - Also Permanent Representative to UNESCO (United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture)

Other official functions

• 1987/89 - Portuguese chief negotiator of Lomé IV convention
• 1990/93 - Deputy permanent representative to the Western European Union (WEU)
• 1995/2001 - Head of the Portuguese delegations to the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organisation for Economic and Development Co-Operation (OECD) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meetings
• 1995/97 - Portuguese chief negotiator of the EU Amsterdam treaty
• 1997 - President of the Committee of ministers of the Schengen Agreement
• 2000 - President of the Council of ministers of the EU Internal Market
• 2000 - Portuguese chief negotiator of the EU Nice treaty
• 2001 - Vice-president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
• 2001/02 - Chairman of the Second Committee (Economic and financial affairs) of the 56th UN General Assembly
• 2002- Vice-president of the 57th UN General Assembly
• 2002 - President of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europa (OSCE)

Other functions

• 2009/2013 - President of the General Council of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro University (UTAD)
• 2011/2013 - Member of the General Council of Guimarães - European Capital of Culture 2012
• 2013/2014 - Executive Director of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe
• 2013/2018 - Member of the Consultative Council, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
• 2015/2018 - Invited professor, Universidade Europeia, Lisbon

Current functions

• Since 2010 - Member of the Consultative Council of the School of Economics, University of Coimbra
• Since 2013 - Chairman of the Consultative Council, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Paris
• Since 2013 - Private activity as strategic economic consultant
• Since 2014 - Invited professor, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
• Since 2016 - Member of the Advisory Council, Chancery for Civil Merit Orders, Presidency of Republic, Lisbon
• Since 2018 - Member of the Independent General Council, Radio e Televisão de Portugal S. A., Lisbon

Bibliography

• "O Caso República" ("The 'República' case"), with António Pinto Rodrigues, Lisbon, 1975;
• "Diplomacia Europeia - Instituições, Alargamento e o Futuro da União" ("European Diplomacy - the institutions, the enlargement and the future of the Union"), Lisbon, 2002;
• "Uma Segunda Opinião - Notas de Política Externa e Diplomacia" ("A Second Opinion - Notes on External Policy and Diplomacy"), Lisbon, 2006;
• "As Vésperas e a Alvorada de Abril" ("The vespers and the April dawn"), Brasília, 2007;
• "Tanto Mar? - Portugal, o Brasil e a Europa" ("So much sea? - Portugal, Brazil and Europe"), Brasília, 2008.
• "Apontamentos" ("Notes"), Lisbon, 2008.