Team

José Ribeiro e Castro graduated in Law in 1975 from the University of Lisbon Law School, where he was one of the best students in his year. He was a legal consultant and senior government official, Assistant Secretary of State to Deputy Prime Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral in the governments of the Democratic Alliance (AD) from 1980 to 1983, and Member of Parliament in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1999, 2009 and 2011. He was Vice-Chairman of the CDS Parliamentary Group in 1981; Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities from 2009 to 2011, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Culture from 2011 to 2013, and Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs from 2013 to 2015.

Elected Member of the European Parliament in 1999 and 2004, he served two terms between 1999 and 2009. He was Vice-Chairman of the EP Employment and Social Affairs Committee and of several international cooperation groups. He was President of the CDS PP between 2005 and 2007.

He was President of the Municipal Assembly of Sintra (2001/05). He was vice-president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica in 1997/98.

He accumulates the practice of law with political, civic and social causes in which he is deeply committed. He is President of SHIP - Sociedade Histórica da Independência de Portugal.

A specialist in Public Law and Nationality Law, he was one of the co-authors of the law allowing historical Sephardic Jews to acquire Portuguese nationality. He has also worked in Constitutional Law, Communications Law, Intellectual Property and Sports Law, and was the draftsman of the first Basic Law of the Sports System (in 1990).