Willy De Clercq
Willy De Clercq ( born July 8, 1927 in Ghent, † October 28, 2011 ) was a Belgian liberal politician, European Commissioner and Member of the European Parliament.
Career
He studied law and became a lawyer at the Court of Appeal in Ghent and Professor at Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Although he had a successful lawyer career, he moved into politics. He became a member of the Liberal Youth, Urban Council Member and Member of Parliament. For many years he was president of the former Liberal Party Partij voor de Vrijheid Vooruitgang.
De Clercq served in various coalition governments. He was budget minister from 1960 to 1961, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget from 1966 to 1968, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 1973 to 1974 and Deputy Prime Minister in 1980. During the 1970s he was president or governor of various international monetary institutions.
1979 to 1981 was De Clercq, Member of the European Parliament. From 1985 to 1989 he was in the Delors Commission I European Commissioner for Trade and foreign policy. He is responsible for the preparation of the European internal market, which was decided by the Single European Act was, as well as the cooperation with the countries of EFTA.
After his tenure as Commissioner In 1989 he was re-elected to the European Parliament. After he was re-elected in 1994 and 1999, he resigned from Parliament on 19 July 2004.
On January 6, 1985, it was appointed Minister of State De Clercq by the Belgian King Baudouin I.. He was so until his death a member of the Privy Council. 2006 De Clercq and his wife Fernande Fazzi by the king were collected as Viscount and Viscountess to the peerage.