Pat Cox

Pat Cox, ICI Board Member

Pat Cox originally engaged with the political world as a respected current affairs journalist. From 1982 to 1986, he reported for Irish national television’s “Today Tonight” programme on cutting edge Irish and international news. Having graduated from Trinity College as an economist and worked as a lecturer in economics, he became actively involved in politics in the late eighties as founding Secretary General of the Progressive Democrats in Ireland. He was elected to the Dáil representing Cork South-Central 1992 and served as the party’s finance spokesman.

Deeply committed to the success of the European Union, Pat Cox was a member of the European parliament from 1989 to 2004. He served, among other positions, on the Committees for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Institutional Affairs and Legal Affairs. He was President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004, campaigning to promote the enlargement of the European Union and has received many awards and distinctions for this work, including honorary Doctorates from several Irish universities. He was named “Member of the European Parliament of the Year” in 2001 and The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU voted him recipient of the “Transatlantic Business Award of the Year 2004”. Among other international honours, he is the recipient of the “International Charlemagne Prize” in Aachen and of France’s highest honour, the title of Commandeur de la Légion d’honneur.  He is currently president of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe and Honorary Vice President of the European Movement Ireland, among other roles.