# Georgios Katrougalos

Georgios Katrougalos (Greek: Γιώργος Κατρούγκαλος; born 27 March 1963) is a Greek jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from February to July 2019. He is currently (since 5 April 2024) UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order. 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.

## Education

Katrougalos studied Law from 1980 to 1985 at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and continued his research studies (P.h.D) in Administrative and Constitutional Law at Pantheon-Sorbonne University (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne). 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.

## Political career

Katrougalos was active at the students' movement in Greece. As a constitutional expert and professor he was involved in a number of public interest litigation, especially regarding social rights, as well as privacy rights under the threat of public surveillance systems. During the economic crisis of 2010 he sharply criticized the austerity policies dictated by the IMF, with scientific articles, public action at national and European courts. He has actively participated at the civil movement of the so-called in Greece "struggle of the squares".
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 (GUE/NGL) and the Coordinator of the Group of European Left at the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) 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. He has designed the pensions reform, which has unified the highly fragmented system of Greek Social Security.
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. He has supported the ratification of Prespa Agreement at the Hellenic Parliament.
He has been elected for the first time member of the Hellenic Parliament at the elections of September 2015 and reelected at the elections of July 2019. In the May 2023 election, he withdrew from the election battle three days before the election due to a statement he made regarding the 2016 insurance reform. He is, since 2019, Vice Chair of the Group of the United European Left at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and since 2021 President of the Sub-committee on the Middle East and the Arab World of PACE. In March 2022 he has been unanimously elected President of the Group.
As minister of Foreign Affairs he has initiated the strategic dialogue of Greece with the USA, but he is also a proponent of the strategic autonomy of the European Foreign Policy and Defense vis-à-vis NATO. He is Honorary Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association

## Works (selection)

* Ανισότητες και Δίκαιο, Alexandria, Athens, 2014.
* The (Dim) Perspectives of the European Social Citizenship. Jean Monnet Working Paper Nr. 05/07, NYU School of Law, New York 2007.
* Southern European welfare states. Problems, challenges and prospects. (with G. Lazaridis.) Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
* Constitution, Law and Rights in the Welfare State ... and beyond, first edition Forlaget Samfundsokonomi & Plaenlaegning, Roskilde, 1995, second edition A. Sakkoulas, Athens, 1998,
* The South European Welfare Model. The Greek Welfare State, in Search of an Identity. In: Journal of European Social Policy February, Band 6, Nr. 1, 1996, S. 39–60.