Dr Péter GOTTFRIED has been elected as member of the Monetary Council as of 1st January 2021.
Date of birth: 28 December 1954
Place of birth: Budapest, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Foreign languages: English. Understanding German, French, Russian
Mr. Gottfried graduated and received his post-graduate degree as an economist specialised in international trade policy and finance at the Budapest University of Economics. He started his professional career in the business sector, then he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Trade as an expert at the Department for Customs Policy and International Economic Organisations. Between 1983 and 1985 he worked for the Hungarian Mission delegated to international economic organisations in Geneva. For almost 6 years, beginning with autumn 1989, he served as a diplomat of the Hungarian Mission to EU in various ranks, beginning as second secretary, and finally becoming the deputy Head of Mission. During his Brussels stay he participated in negotiations of agreements between the EU and Hungary, including the Association and the Accession Treaty. Returning to Hungary he was appointed as President of the Office for European Affairs, founded in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as a titular secretary of state, then he was deputy head and finally head of the Secretariat for Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 2005 and 2006 he was head of the Office for European Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office. In 2007-2010 he worked as Ambassador heading the Hungarian Mission accredited to OECD in Paris. Between 2010 and 2020 he worked as European policy advisor to the Prime Minister.
During his professional career he participated in the negotiating delegations of a number of bilateral and multilateral agreements, including the EU-Hungary accession agreement and he was delegated as alternate member of the Convention preparing the Lisbon Agreement. Since the accession of Hungary, he participated in most sessions of the European Council.
Honors: Hungarian, German and Italian awards