Álvaro Barreto (1 January 1936 – 10 February 2020) was a Portuguese politician and engineer, and a member of the Social Democratic Party. From 1978 to 2005, he occupied various government ministry offices.

Biography

Barreto obtained his license in civil engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico in 1959. He then served as a project manager for Profabril until 1969, when he became an administrative director for the

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

shipyards. On 22 November 1978, Barreto was appointed as Minister of Industry and Technology by Carlos Mota Pinto. However, once the Pinto government fell in 1979, Barreto left politics and joined the board of directors of TAP Air Portugal. However, he returned to government in 1980 when Francisco de Sá Carneiro formed a coalition cabinet and Barreto became Minister of Industry and Energy. The following year, after Carneiro's death, Barreto became Minister of European Integration. However, this position was abolished on 4 September 1981. Barreto became Minister of Commerce and Tourism on 9 June 1983 after having been appointed by his ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD). After a cabinet reshuffle, he became Minister of Agriculture on 17 October 1983. He was the only member of the PSD to be elected in the

Beja District The Beja District () is located in southern Portugal. The district capital is the city of Beja. It is the largest district of the country by area, and constitutes around 11% of its area. Municipalities The district is composed of 14 municipali ...

in the 1985 elections, and became Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food on 6 November of that same year. He was re-elected to the Assembly of the Republic in 1987, again the only member of the PSD in Beja. After a cabinet reshuffle on 5 January 1990, Barreto was relieved of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. He was elected in the Lisbon District in 1991 in the seventh position. He led the district's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Portuguese Communities and Cooperation. In 1995, he ran in the

Castelo Branco District Castelo Branco District ( pt, Distrito de Castelo Branco ) is located in Central Portugal. Its capital is Castelo Branco, Portugal, Castelo Branco, which is now also its most populous city, overtaking Covilhã, which was once the largest city, in ...

, earning the second position. In 1999, he moved back to Lisbon, winning the second position only behind PSD leader

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...

. In his last election in 2002, Barreto was elected to the third position in Lisbon. In this office, he chaired the Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. On 17 July 2004, he was appointed Minister of Economic Activities and Labor. Barreto retired from politics following the 2005 elections, in which he did not run. Álvaro Barreto died on 10 February 2020 at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barreto, Alvaro 20th-century Portuguese engineers 1936 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Portuguese politicians 21st-century Portuguese politicians Social Democratic Party (Portugal) politicians Government ministers of Portugal Agriculture ministers of Portugal Economy ministers of Portugal Instituto Superior Técnico alumni Politicians from Lisbon Portuguese people of Danish descent Portuguese people of Italian descent