(Died October 3, 2019)
He holds a diploma and a doctorate in law, specializing in administrative law and political science from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, and full professor at the Faculty of Law of the “New University of Lisbon” and is also the author of several books.
He was a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University Lusófona of Lisbon, where he teaches and directs the public law economics course of the law course, developing other teaching activities in the same faculty.
In 1974, a few months after the carnation revolution, he was one of the founders and president of the Social Democratic Center (CDS), a right-wing party which he led until 1985, then from 1988 to 1991. He was a member of the Assembly of the Republic (Portuguese Parliament) from 1975 to 1983, then again in 1992 and 1993. He was also a member of the Portuguese Council of State between 1974 and 1982.
In the legislative elections of 1979 and 1980, the Democratic Alliance (of which the CDS was a member) won the majority and formed a government, in which Freitas do Amaral was deputy prime minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1980 and vice-premier Minister and Minister of Defense between 1981 and 1983. After the death of Francisco Sá Carneiro, Freitas do Amaral was acting Prime Minister for a short period between 1980 and 1981. Between 1981 and 1982 he was president of the European People’s Party .
In 1986, he ran for the presidential elections of the Republic. Supported by his Party and the Social Democratic Party, he was the most voted candidate in the first round of these elections, but lost in the second round to the candidate Mário Soares, by only around 150,000 votes.
He was president of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1995 and 1996.
Professor Doctor Diogo Freitas do Amaral has enthusiastically supported the project to create the European Network of Places of Peace since its creation and later in its development and enlargement phase:
- In December 2007, he was the main speaker of the 1st Conference on peace organized in Évora Monte (Portugal) by the Evoramonte Castle Friendship Association and in which a delegation from the Hubertusburg Castle Friendship Association (Germany) participated and which was the first step towards the creation of the ENPP;
- In 2008 and 2009, he supported and advised the development of general principles and specific objectives of the Network which served as the basis for the development of the Network’s statutes;
- On May 28, 2010, he participated in the constitution of the association and in the ceremony of public deed during which he delivered an important conference on the culture of peace in the world, the importance of peace treaties and their historical memory;
- During the following years, he closely followed the development of the Network and its expansion in other places and countries and only the health problems which had already hampered him in the meantime prevented him from participating more actively in public initiatives of the Association;
- At the beginning of 2018, after having taken note of the very negative report of the “expert” appointed by the Council of Europe on the Places of Peace Route, he drew up an opinion on this report on his own initiative and free of charge for the Association and used his personal influence from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, actions which played a major role in the favorable decision for the Route taken during the meeting of the government of the EPA on 18 and 19 April 2018.
(Died September 25, 2021)
Dr. Georg Müller, professional doctor, was the Chairman of the Board of the Hubertusburg Castle Friendship Association (Wermsdorf, Germany) between 1997 and 2015 and one of its main drivers.
In 2007, in his capacity as President of that German Association, he was the first person in all of Europe to respond to the invitation that the Evoramonte Castle Friendship Association (Portugal) addressed to various European entities in places where peace treaties were signed with a view to establishing ties of friendship, cooperation and exchange of experiences between these sites of important legacy to European History.
In this perspective, Dr. Georg Müller headed a delegation from his Association that was present at the 1st. Peace Conference held in December 2007 held in Évora Monte and his speech at this Conference, the result of his personal experience in the 2nd. Great World War and its deep desire for Peace, was the fundamental lever for what 3 years later would become a reality – the European Network of Places of Peace (ENPP).
During the years leading up to the creation of the ENPP, Dr Georg Müller said always present. So it was at the 1st European Meeting of ENPP in 2009, where the Principles and Objectives of the Association were established, on the 3rd. European Meeting where the public deed of ENPP was signed, at the 4th European Meeting where its first Managing Bodies were elected or at the 6th European Meeting where the Places of Peace Route was created as at its formal launch in the city of Leipzig in December 2012.
As head of the Hubertusburg Castle Friendship Association, Dr. Georg Müller has played a pivotal role in the restoration of Hubertusburg Castle, the launch of the Hubertusburg Talks and Youth Peace Prize as well as the Celebrations of 250 Years of Hubertusburg Peace in 2013, during which he managed to get a stamp commemorative of this event issued by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and saw one of his dreams come true: the inauguration of the memorial to the Peace of Hubertusburg in the Castle where it was signed.
See the Video “Tribute Dr. Georg Müller”.
Ulf Müller was a Member of the Board of the Association European Network of Places of Peace since its foundation in 2010 until 2022 and was one of the most enthusiastic person about ENPP’s objectives;
Ulf Müller participated in all the most important ENPP meetings and activities, from 2007 to the present and marked, with his enthusiasm and ability to carry out, this entire period of ENPP’s life, either as a Member of the Board or as responsible for ENPP in Hubertusburg Castle Friendship Association (Wermsdorf, Germany).
