Elisa Maria da Costa Guimarães Ferreira, GCC (born 17 October 1955) is a Portuguese politician and economist who served as the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms in the administration of President Ursula von der Leyen between 2019 and 2024. She previously served as vice-governor of the Bank of Portugal from 2016 until 2019.Vice-Governor Elisa Ferreira Banco de Portugal . Retrieved 1 December 2017. She was as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Socialist Party; part of the Party of European Socialists between 2004 and 2016. In 2019, she was selected by Portugal to serve as a European Commissioner. Previously, she was in charge of the Ministries of Environment (1995-1999) and Public Works (1999-2001) during the governments of António Guterres.

Political career

Member of the Portuguese Government, 1995–2002 Ferreira served as Minister of Environment (1995–1999) and as Minister for Planning (1999–2001) in the government of António Guterres.

Member of the European Parliament, 2004–2016 Ferreira was a Member of the European Parliament from the 2004 European election until her resignation in 2016. Throughout her time in parliament, she served as a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. In this capacity, she drafted the committee's own-initiative report on closer coordination of economic policies, which calls for the European Central Bank (ECB) to be granted powers to monitor “financial stability in the euro-area” and to be involved “in EU-wide macroprudential supervision of systematically important financial institutions.”Zoe Casey (11 February 2009), MEPs want economic policy co-ordinated European Voice. She was also in charge of the parliament's report on the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure in 2011Ian Wishart (13 April 2011), MEPs to back tougher rules on economic regulation European Voice. and led the parliament's work on the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) in 2013.Nicholas Hirst (17 December 2013), MEPs take a strong line on bank fund European Voice.

From 2004 to 2014, Ferreira was a member of the parliament's delegation to the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. In 2015, she joined the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect.

In 2012, Ferreira was part of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) expert “alternative troika” sent to Greece to assess what measures can be taken to spur job growth.The shadow troika European Voice, 15 February 2012.

In addition to her committee assignments, Ferreira was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Long Term Investment and Reindustrialisation.Members European Parliament Intergroup on Long Term Investment and Reindustrialisation. She also represented the Parliament at the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in BaliSimon Taylor (21 November 2007), Bali-bound MEPs European Voice. and the 2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań.Jennifer Rankin (26 November 2008), MEPs flock to Poznań meeting European Voice.

Banco de Portugal, 2016–2019 In June 2016, Elisa Ferreira resigned from the European Parliament after she was nominated by the Portuguese Government to join the board of directors of the Bank of Portugal.Diogo Cavaleiro (16 June 2016), Governo oficializa nomeação de Elisa Ferreira e Máximo dos Santos no Banco de Portugal Jornal de Negócios. She was replaced by Manuel dos Santos.

European Commissioner, 2019–2024 On 27 August 2019 Prime-Minister António Costa announced that Ferreira had been proposed as the Portuguese commissioner in Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission, to take office on 1 November 2019, taking the portfolio of Cohesion and Reforms. She became the first Portuguese woman to be put forward as commissioner.Meet the commissioners Politico Europe, September 9, 2019.

Life after politics After leaving the European Commission, Ferreira resumed her former occupation as university teacher at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto.Decision of the European Commission on Commissioner Elisa Ferreira's post term of office professional activity as university teacher at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto European Commission, statement of 26 November 2024.

Electoral history Porto City Council election, 2009

! colspan="2" | Party ! Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px"| Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/− |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PSD/CDS–PP | align=left |Rui Rio || 62,507 || 47.5 || 7 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PS | align=left |Elisa Ferreira || 45,682 || 34.7 || 5 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDU | align=left |Rui Sá || 12,904 || 9.8 || 1 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| BE | align=left |João Teixeira Lopes || 6,552 || 4.9 || 0 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| PCTP/MRPP | align=left |João Valente Pinto || 915 || 0.7 || 0 || ±0 |- | colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 3,089 || 2.4 || – || – |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout | 131,649 || 56.75 || 13 || ±0 |- | colspan="7" align=left|Source: Autárquicas 2009

Other activities Fundação Futebol Clube do Porto, Member of the Council (since 2026)Decision of the European Commission on Former Commissioner Elisa Ferreira's post term of office professional activity with the Oporto Football Club's Foundation (Fundação Futebol Clube do Porto) European Commission, statement of 29 January 2026. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Member of the Administrative Board (1989–1992) Associação Industrial Portuense, Executive Vice-President (1992–1994) Comissão de Coordenação da Região Norte, Vice-President (1988–1992)

References

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