A Member of the European Parliament, Maria Manuel Leitão Marques counts herself amongst the members of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D Group).

Holds the positions of Chairperson of the Coimbra Polytechnic General Council and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Maria Manuel Leitão Marques is also a Member of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly. Holds a Degree in Law awarded by the Coimbra University Law School and a PhD in Economics, also awarded by the Coimbra University, which has also offered her tenure in the Economics Department.

Was a Full Professor at the Coimbra University Economics School and held a Permanent Researcher position at the Coimbra University Centre for Economic Studies. Over her extensive political career, Maria Manuel Leitão Marques was a Member of the Portuguese Parliament, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Administrative Modernisation, and Secretary of State for Administrative Modernisation, having also held several positions at EU institutions and been President of the Administrative Modernisation Coordination Unit and President of the Trade Observatory at the Portuguese Ministry of Economy.

Having authored and co-authored several books and articles on Public Regulation, Competition Law and Public Services, Maria Manuel Leitão Marques was decorated Commander of the Order of Public Education by the then President of Portugal Jorge Sampaio.