Georgios Katrougalos


Georgios Katrougalos is a Greek jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from February to July 2019. He previously served as an Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs from 5 November 2016 to 15 February 2019, as the Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity from 23 September 2015 to 5 November 2016 and from 18 July 2015 to 28 August 2015. From 27 January 2015 to 17 July 2015 he served as an Alternate Minister of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction in Tsipras's first cabinet
He is currently a professor of public law at the Democritus University of Thrace. From 2014 to January 2015 he was a Member of the European Parliament representing Greece.

Parliamentary service

Katrougalos studied Law from 1980 to 1985 at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and continued his research studies in Administrative and Constitutional Law at Pantheon-Sorbonne University. In 1990 he was awarded a P.h.D. with “Honors”. His doctoral thesis is entitled « The legitimacy crisis of Public Administration – The case of Greece». He is a member of Athens Bar Association since 1987.

Professional career

In 1994, and again from 1997 to 2002, Katrougalos was legal advisor at the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, he lectured and conducted research as visiting Professor at University Roskilde in Denmark and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. From 1997 he is a member of the Board of the Centre for European Constitutional Law. From 1998 to 2011, he was accredited as mediator and arbitrator at the Greek Organization for Mediation and Arbitration. From 2000 to 2003, he was advisor to the Greek Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
In 2002, he was appointed Professor of Public Law at Democritus University of Thrace, where he was also President of the Department of Political Sciences and Social Administration. He has been the first President and CEO of Vocational Training S.A, a public organisation of the Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and member of the Management Board of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, the EU agency specialized in vocational training policy, as well as Vice-President of the Centre for Educational Research. From 2003 to 2004, he was a member of an experts' committee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs working on the drafting of the European Constitution. Katrougalos has also worked as advisor for law reforms in Uzbekistan, Albania, North Macedonia, Syria and Armenia. He has lectured at many universities, including Columbia, Humboldt, Tilburg University, the London School of Economics and the National Law School of New Delhi.
He has published many books and articles in Greek, English, French, Russian and Spanish periodicals.

Political Activity

At the European elections of 2014, Katrougalos was elected as a member of the European Parliament with SYRIZA party. At the EU Parliament was a member of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left European Parliamentary Group and the Coordinator of the Group of European Left at the Committee on Constitutional Affairs
When SYRIZA won the elections of January 2015, Katrougalos was appointed Alternate Minister of Interior and Administrative Reform. From 23 September 2015 to 5 November 2016 and from 18 July 2015 to 28 August 2015 he served as Minister for Labour and Social Solidarity.
From 5 November 2016 to 15 February 2019 he served as an Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs and from 15 February 2019 to 8 July 2019 he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Family

Katrougalos is married and has two daughters.

Works (selection)