João Pedro Matos Fernandes

Political career When Portugal held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2021, Matos Fernandes chaired the meetings of its Environment Council.

During his time in office, Matos Fernandes later oversaw an auction in August 2020 of contracts to build and operate new solar energy capacity that set a world record for the lowest price of future output.

With Portugal facing a winter drought in early 2022, Matos Fernandes ordered some of the country's hydropower dams to temporarily limit water use for electricity production and irrigation, prioritizing human consumption instead, and to ensure a supply of drinking water for at least two years.

Personal life Matos Fernandes is a cousin of Narcos actor Pêpê Rapazote.