Hannes Swoboda initiated public panel discussions and closed expert roundtable discussions in Ankara and Brussels on the prospects of chapter 23 (Judiciary and fundamental rights) and chapter 24 (Justice, freedom and security) of the membership negotiations. He also drafted a policy brief on EU-Turkey relations.
Hannes Swoboda is a former Member of the European Parliament. He was elected as the president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in 2012. As a staunch pro-European and a dedicated member of the Social Democratic Party in Austria (SPÖ), he joined the European Parliament immediately after Austria’s accession to the EU and was the SPÖ’s leading candidate in subsequent elections (2004, 2009). He is known as an engaged parliamentarian, having served on 15 committees and in 11 delegations, and as the rapporteur of countless reports.