| | Graduated in Law (1965-1972) and Economics (1965-1971) at the University of Deusto, Bilbao |
| 1970-1971 | Follow-up studies at L École Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris |
| 1991 | "Senior managers in Government" program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University |
| 1991-1994 | Associate Lecturer on Employment and Social Security Law at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid |
| Director of the research program on "Equality and redistribution of income" at the Fundación Argentaria |
| 1979-2004 | Member of the Spanish Parliament |
| 1982-1986 | Minister of Employment and Social Security |
| 1986-1991 | Minister of Public Administration |
| 1994-1997 | Spokesperson of the Socialist Parliamentary Group |
| 1997-2000 | Leader of the PSOE |
| 2000 | Elections: Socialist candidate for Prime Minister |
| 2002 | Founder and Director of the progressive think tank "Laboratorio de Alternativas" |
| since 2004 | Member of the European Commission |
| 2004-2010 | Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs |
| since 2010 | Commissioner for competition |
| | Ph.D. (1985); M.A. with distinction (1979), Johns Hopkins University; B.S.F.S. (1977), Georgetown University School of Foreign Service |
| 1979-1982 | Chicago Council on Foreign Relations |
| 1982-1990 | Deputy Director, Aspen Institute Berlin |
| 1987-1989 | Visiting Lecturer, Free University of Berlin |
| 1990-1991 | Director, California Institute for European-American Relations |
| 1990-1993 | Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |
| 1994 | Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Germany |
| 1995 | Director for Policy, Bureau of European Affairs, U.S. Department of State |
| 1996-1998 | Associate Director, Policy Planning Staff, Office of the U.S. Secretary of State |
| 1999 | U.S. Special Coordinator for Southeast European Stabilization, U.S. Department of State |
| 2000-2001 | U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs |
| seit 2001 | Director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Executive Director, American Consortium on EU Studies |
| | - 2002-2010 Richard von Weizsäcker Professor |
| | - 2003 Guest Professor, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck |
| | - 2008 Senior Diplomatic Fellow, Policy Planning Staff, Office of the German Foreign Minister |
| | Visiting Professor, Hertie School of Governance |
| | - seit 2010 Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Professor |
| | Studies of History, Journalism and Law, University of Vienna |
| | Graduation with honors (Mag.phil) in History and Communication Science |
| | Degree from the 32nd Post Graduate Management University Course at the Vienna University of Economics and Business |
| | 7th Strategic Leadership Course of the LVAK (Austrian National Defence Academy) on behalf of the Federal Government and the National Security Council |
| | Postgraduate Diploma in General Management, ESMT European School of Management and Technology, Berlin |
| 1991-1992 | Press spokesman of the Vienna branch of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) |
| 1992-1997 | Permanent freelancer in the editorial department for ethnic minorities of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) |
| 1997-1998 | Press Officer, Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), Editor-in-Chief of "Industry News Service" |
| 1998-1999 | Federal Managing Director of Young Industry / Group 1031 |
| 1999-2001 | Manager of the IV Newsroom, Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) |
| 2001-2011 | Director of Marketing & Communication Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) |
| since 2011 | Director General of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) |
| 1974 | Master Degree, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Charles University of Prague |
| 1976 | Ph.D., History and Prehistory, Charles University of Prague |
| 1976-1989 | A respectable person did not make a special career in my country at that time. So, following my studies I occupied different positions in different sectors very often just as a worker: Saw-mill worker, scene-shifter, dairy industry worker, archaeologist, public administrator in nature protection and environment, construction worker etc. |
| 1990-1991 | Vice-Chairman of Regional Public Authority in Jindrichuv Hradec |
| 1991-1996 | Director of Regional Employment Authority in Jindrichuv Hradec |
| 1996-2004 | Member of the Czech Parliament Chamber of Deputies for the CSSD |
| | Chairman of the Social Policy and Health Care Committee of the Chamber |
| 1997-2001 | Vice-Chairman of the CSSD - Czech Social Democratic Party |
| 1998-2002 | First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs |
| 2001-2004 | Chairman of the CSSD - Czech Social Democratic Party |
| 2002-2004 | Prime Minister of the Czech Republic |
| 2004-2010 | European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities |
| since 2011 | Adviser to the Chairman of the Senate (Mr. Milan `tch), Czech Republic |
| 1978-1983 | University of Vienna, Law Faculty; 1983 Graduation as Doktor iuris - Doctor of Law |
| 1982-1983 | Assistant Lecturer and Researcher, Institute of Criminal Law, University of Vienna |
| 1983-1984 | Judge's Assistant at several Courts of Law in Vienna |
| 1984-1987 | Civil Servant for the Federal State Lower Austria; employed in the Headquarter as well as in the Country Councils of Gmünd and Baden |
| 1987-1990 | Member in the Cabinet of the Minister of Defence |
| 1989-1991 | Speaker on European Relations, ÖAAB, the Employees' Association of the Austrian People's Party - ÖVP |
| 1990-1993 | Trainee Programme, Federation of Austrian Industrialists, including Work Experience at Alcatel Austria, Siemens and the Austrian Power Industry, as well as a four-months internship in Germany |
| 1991 | Deputy Head, ÖAAB |
| 1992-1993 | Member, Federal Chamber in the Austrian Parliament |
| 1993-1994 | GiroCredit (Austrian bank), employed within the Secretary of the Board; Strategic Management |
| 1993-1995 | MP - Member of the National Assembly |
| 1995-1996 | MEP - Member of the European Parliament (ÖVP-EVP), Brussels, Member in the Parliamentary Committee on Economics, Currency Issues and Industrial Policy, Deputy Member in the Committee for Social Issues and Employment |
| since 1996 | MP - Member of the National Assembly in the Austrian Parliament |
| 1996-2006 | Party's Speaker on Foreign Affairs, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs |
| since 1998 | Chairman, NÖAAB (ÖAAB of Lower Austria) |
| 2000-2007 | Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe |
| 2000-2006 | Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader, Austrian People´s Party |
| 2002-2006 | Head, Austrian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe |
| 2006-2008 | 2nd President, Austrian National Council |
| 2008-2013 | Federal Minister for European and International Affairs |
| since 2009 | Head, ÖAAB |
| since 2011 | Vice-Chancellor of the Republic of Austria and Head of ÖVP |
| since 2013 | Federal Minister of Finance |
| ab 1988 | Studien der Theologie, Germanistik und Klassischen Philologie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (nicht abgeschlossen) |
| 1991-1994 | Außenpolitik-Redakteur, "Kleine Zeitung" |
| 1994 | Redakteur in der Chefredaktion, "Kleine Zeitung" |
| 1995-1997 | Chef vom Dienst, "Kleine Zeitung" |
| 1998-1999 | Stellvertretender Chefredakteur, "Kleine Zeitung" |
| 2000-2001 | Chef vom Dienst, "Standard" |
| 2002-2004 | Stellvertretender Chefredakteur, "Die Presse" |
| 2004-2012 | Chefredakteur, "Die Presse" |
| 2013 | /14 Leiter, Media Academy, Europäisches Forum Alpbach |
| seit 2015 | Chefredakteur, "nzz.at" |
