Karel Van Miert
ALH Karel Van Miert ( born January 17, 1942 in Oud -Turnhout, † 22 June, 2009 Beersel ) was a Belgian politician.
Life
From a farming family, he received the university entrance qualification to study at the University of Ghent in 1962. Four years later he completed his studies with a degree in diplomatic sciences. After an internship 1967/68 at the European Commission, he attended summer courses at Worcester College, Oxford.
With the suppression of the Prague Spring in August 1968 he was in Prague and was able to return in time to Belgium by train via West Berlin straight. In 1971, he was aspirant Science Fund NFWO as an employee of the Dutchman Mansholt, then European Commissioner for Agriculture. In 1976 he was Chef de Cabinet to the Belgian economy minister Willy Claes, who also appointed him as Deputy Secretary-General of the then Belgian Labour Party.
Van Miert was 1978-1988 Chairman of the Flemish socialists. From 1979 to 1985 he was Member of the European Parliament and from 1986 to 1992, Deputy Chairman of the Socialist International.
From 1989 to 1999 Van Miert, former EU commissioner. In the German and Austrian public, he was known particularly as European Commissioner for transport and competition, which wanted to ban the late 1990s, the book prices.
As Transport Commissioner Van Miert was the main contact of the former Austrian Government at all transit issues. Initially it was 1989, exemptions for the night driving ban for trucks in Austria. In 1992, he reached an agreement with Austria's Transport Minister Viktor Klima on the transit agreement governing the number of passages and the calculation of the " eco-points " for lorry from the European Community.
Then worked Karel Van Miert to the Dutch economy Nyenrode University. Karel Van Miert was also after his departure from the EU Commission to continue in the service of the EU. He was coordinator of the TEN project No. 1 including the Brenner base tunnel or questions for satellite ( Galileo project ) responsible.
As an EU coordinator TEN Project No. 1, he signed yet on May 18, 2009 in Rome, together with the transport ministers from Germany, Austria and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the Brenner railway line.
On 22 June 2009 van Miert suffered a fatal heart attack in his garden. At the request of the family of the Minister of State received no such funeral, cremation took place in the circle of relatives and friends.
His successor in the Supervisory Board of Munich Re is Benita Ferrero- Waldner.
Awards
In 1997 he received the Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria.
In 1999, Karel Van Miert was awarded the German Mittelstand price. In 2007 he received the European Railway Award in the category " politics. "
Writings
- Market power, competition. My experience as a Commissioner in Brussels, DVA, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-421-05384-7