Willy De Clercq

Willy Clarisse Elvire Hector, Viscount De Clercq (8 July 1927 – 28 October 2011) was a Belgian liberal politician.

The Viscount De Clercq
European Commissioner for External Relations and Trade
In office
7 January 1985 – 6 January 1989
PresidentJacques Delors
Preceded byWilhelm Haferkamp (External Relations, Nuclear Affairs and Trade)
Succeeded byFrans Andriessen
Personal details
Born(1927-07-08)8 July 1927
Ghent, Belgium
Died28 October 2011(2011-10-28) (aged 84)
Ghent, Belgium
Political partyParty for Freedom and Progress
Alma materGhent University
Syracuse University

De Clercq was born in Ghent, son of Frans de Clercq.[1] After his law and notariat studies at the University of Ghent and a scholarship at Syracuse University (Syracuse, United States), De Clerq became a lawyer at the Court of appeal in Ghent and a professor at Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Although he could have had a successful career in law, he got into politics. He was member of the Liberal youth and was elected municipal councillor and member of parliament.

De Clercq served in various coalition governments. He was secretary of state for the budget (1960–1961), deputy prime minister and minister of the budget from 1966 to 1968, deputy prime minister and minister of Finances in 1973–1974, minister of Finances in 1974–1977 and deputy prime minister in 1980.

De Clercq served as president of various international monetary instances and as president of the then liberal party PVV. He served for a term as a member of the European Commission (1985–1989). Moreover, he became Minister of State in 1985. From 1989 to 2004, he was a member of the European Parliament.

In 2003, he created together with other prominent European personalities the Medbridge Strategy Center, whose goal is to promote dialogue and mutual understanding between Europe and the Middle-East.[2]

He died on 28 October 2011.[3]

Honours

Varia

He was the father of jonkheer Yannick De Clercq[11] and grandfather of jonkheer Mathias De Clercq.

gollark: A regular function which listens on the socket and sends events.
gollark: Please add it as some sort of backgroundable function in the chatbox API.
gollark: I really do *not* want an autorun program in the ROM.
gollark: PotatOS actually uses a different one, which is not made for CC and actually works.
gollark: Yes.

References
  1. Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62
  2. http://www.medbridge.org/showpage.php/en/1/2/page.html
  3. Willy De Clercq dies at 84
  4. http://www.ars-moriendi.be/de_clercq.htm
  5. http://www.ars-moriendi.be/de_clercq.htm
  6. http://www.ars-moriendi.be/de_clercq.htm
  7. Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62
  8. Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62
  9. Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62
  10. Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62
  11. http://www.ugent.be/nl/univgent/organisatie/regeringscommissaris/cv.htm

Sources
  • W. Prevenier, C. Ysebaert, L. Pareyn (Ed.), Vijftig jaar liberale praxis. Willy De Clercq vijfenzeventig jaar, 2002.
  • T. Goorden, Willy De Clercq, een biografie, Lannoo, 2004, ISBN 90-209-5750-3
Political offices
Preceded by
André Vlerick		 Minister of Finance
1973–1977		 Succeeded by
Gaston Geens
Preceded by
Robert Vandeputte		 Minister of Finance
1981–1985		 Succeeded by
Frans Grootjans
Preceded by
Étienne Davignon		 Belgian European Commissioner
1985–1989		 Succeeded by
Karel Van Miert
Preceded by
Wilhelm Haferkamp
as European Commissioner for External Relations, Nuclear Affairs and Trade		 European Commissioner for External Relations and Trade
1985–1989		 Succeeded by
Frans Andriessen
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