Sir Graham Watson

Sir Graham Watson is a European political leader from Scotland in the United Kingdom. He holds dual UK-Italian citizenship by marriage to Dr Rita Giannini, an Italian Liberal. They have two children. Elected as the first UK Liberal ever to the European Parliament in 1994 after eight years in international banking, he served as Chairman of the Parliament’s Committee on Citizens Rights and Freedoms, Justice and Home Affairs from 1999 to 2002 before being elected as Leader of Parliament’s Liberal Democratic Group. He was Parliament’s Liberal Democrat Leader from 2002-09. He remained in Parliament until 2014.During his twenty years in the European Parliament he co-founded and chaired The Climate Parliament, a global network of legislators committed to accelerating the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. He was ALDE party president from 2011 to 2015.