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European Commissioner 1985 - 1989 speaks on Ireland's role in Europe
Peter Sutherland, European Commissioner 1985 - 1989
Peter Sutherland was EU Commissioner for Competition, Social Affairs and Education from 1985 to 1988. During this period he was responsible for the introduction of the Erasmus programme for university exchange.
He had previously been the Irish Attorney general between 1981 and 1984. Subsequently, he served five years as chairman of Allied Irish Bank from 1989 to 1993 and chairman of the board of governors of the European Institute of Public Administration (Maastricht) from 1991 to 1996. In 1993, he became head of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and he negotiated the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of talks in 1994. He then went on to become the first Director General of the World Trade Organisation.