Paulo Casaca is a Portuguese politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for Portugal's Socialist Party ; part of the Party of European Socialists from 1999 to 2009. Founder and executive director of the “South Asia Democratic Forum”; he is also the founder of the international co-operation association registered in Brussels ARCHumankind, “Alliance to Renew Co-operation among Humankind”, founder of the “Euro Reform Initiative”, of the consultancy company on sustainable development registered in Brussels, Lessmeansmore, Land and Energy Sustainable Systems, Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the US in the first semester of 2010; team leader of a report commissioned by the US-based NGO Committee to Study the Organization of Peace “A Green Ray over Iraq” presented to the UN last March. Paulo Casaca was a Member of the European Parliament for ten years where, namely, he chaired the delegation for relations with NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He was a Councillor in the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union from 1996 to 1999, chief of staff of the Minister for Territorial Planning and Public Works in 1995/1996, economics advisor for the socialist fraction in the national parliament in 1989/1990, 1992, 1994/1995. Previous to this position, he was a Councillor in the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union from 1996 to 1999, chief of staff of the Minister for Territorial Planning and Public Works in 1995/1996, economics advisor for the socialist fraction in the national parliament and Founder of Amnesty International Section in Ponta Delgada, Azores. During his academic career, Paulo Casaca lectured at the Economics Departments of the Lisbon Accounting Institute and at the University of the Azores from 1980 and was then invited as a professor at the Lisbon Technical University. He is the author of several books and reports on the economic and social affairs, Human Rights and the issue of religious fanaticism.
