Hannes Swoboda

Hannes Swoboda is a former member of the European Parliament. As a Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow, he co-organized a project with IPC examining and facilitating potential areas of cooperation between EU and Turkey beyond the accession negotiations.

Swoboda was elected as President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in 2012. As a staunch pro-European and a dedicated member of the Social Democratic Party in Austria (SPÖ), he joined the European Parliament right after Austria’s accession to the EU and was the leading candidate of the SPÖ in the following elections (2004, 2009).

As an engaged parliamentarian he served in 15 committees, 11 delegations, and as the rapporteur of countless reports. Through his regional focus on Turkey and Southeast Europe, Central Asia and Russia and steady contribution to the fight against political extremism and promoting minority rights, Swoboda is considered an expert on European integration.

His experience as a vice president of the S&D, his law and economics background, 14 years representing the interest of employees in the Vienna Chamber of Labor, as well as the nine years he served in the Vienna Assembly and Municipal Council have provided him with vast experience and knowledge of foreign affairs, urban development, education, health, housing, and labor policies.