Alejandro Cercas

Alejandro Cercas Alonso ( born May 25, 1949 in Ibahernando, Spain ) is a Spanish politician of the Social Democratic Party, PSOE and member of the European Parliament.

After studying law, which he finished in 1974, Cercas began his career as legal counsel. In 1977 he was an official of the Spanish Social Security. Already during his studies he was a member of the PSOE, which at that time - was still banned - during the Franco dictatorship. 1974 to 1977 he was Secretary General of the PSOE youth organization Juventudes Social fashionistas.

After the transition to democracy Cercas was elected in the 1982 elections to the Spanish Parliament, where he was also Chairman of the Social Committee. In 1999 he resigned from his mandate to instead run in the European elections of 1999, when he was elected to the European Parliament. He is a member of the Group of the Party of European Socialists and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.

In 2008, he was instrumental with the fact that the European Parliament rejected an amendment approved by the Council of the EU Working Time Directive, by which these working week of no more than 65 ( previously 48 instead ) hours have allowed in the first reading.

In 2010 he signed the Manifesto of the Spinelli Group for a federal Europe.