Marcelino Oreja Aguirre
Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Marquess of Oreja, Academician and Honor President of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.
JURY
He took his degree in Law at Salamanca University with the highest grades and is a Doctor at Law by the University of Madrid having gained an Extraordinary Award, and is also Honoris Causa Doctor by Sevilla and Zaragoza Universities. He has been Professor of Foreign Policy of the Diplomatic Academy and holder of the Jean Monet Professorship of Euro Community Law at the Universidad Complutense.
He has been Under Secretary of Information and Tourism and Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government Delegate at the Basque Country with personal Ministerial rank, General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Member of the European Commission of Transport, Energy, Audiovisual and Culture.
As a Member of Parliament he has been Royal Senator at the Constituent legislature, in several legislatures he has been Representative of Guipuzcoa and Álava; President of the joint committee Congress-Senate of the Spanish Parliament; President of the Constitutional Commission of the European Parliament and Vice- President of the European Popular Party.
At present he is the President of the Instituto de Estudios Europeos of the CEU San Pablo University; President of the Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, President of the Pelayo Foundation and Board Member to Fomento, Construcciones y Contratas and of Barclays Bank. In 1988 he was appointed European of the Year by the European Foundation for Science, the Arts and Culture at the Palace of the Senate of the French Republic.
He owns the Great Crosses of Carlos III, Isabel la Católica, Mérito Militar, Mérito de la Guardia Civil and Alfonso el Sabio. He has been made Adopted Son of Santiago de Compostela and awarded the Gold Medal of Culture of Santiago de Compostela.
He is the author of “Europa para Qué” with a foreword by Raymond Barre and presented by Simone Weil, “La Constitución Europea”, “El Tratado de Amsterdam”, “Europa Finalidad de Milenarias Realidades y Perspectivas”.
Lately he has published a book on aspects of his life named “Memoria y Esperanza.
In April, HM The King bestowed on him the title of Marquess de Oreja.
