Herman Van Rompuy

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Herman Van Rompuy
President of the European Council
Incumbent
Assumed office  1 December 2009[1]
Preceded by	Fredrik Reinfeldt
Prime Minister of Belgium
In office 30 December 2008 – 25 November 2009
Monarch	Albert II
Deputy	See list Didier Reynders (Finance) Guy Vanhengel (Budget) Laurette Onkelinx (Social Affairs) Joëlle Milquet (Employment) Steven Vanackere (Civil Service and Public Enterprise)
Preceded by	Yves Leterme
Succeeded by	Yves Leterme
President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives
In office 12 July 2007 – 30 December 2008
Preceded by	Herman De Croo
Succeeded by	Patrick Dewael
Minister for Budget
In office 1993 – 1999
Prime Minister	Jean-Luc Dehaene
Preceded by	Mieke Offeciers-Van De Wiele
Succeeded by	Johan Vande Lanotte
Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives
In office 1995 – 2000
Member of the Belgian Senate
In office 1988 – 1995
Born	31 October 1947 (1947-10-31) (age 62) Etterbeek, Belgium
Political party	Christian Democratic and Flemish
Spouse(s)	Geertrui Windels
Residence	Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
Alma mater	Catholic University of Leuven
Profession	Economist
Religion	Roman Catholicism[2]
Website	Official website

Herman Van Rompuy (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛɾmɑn vɑn ˈɾɔmpœy̆] (help·info), born 31 October 1947 in Etterbeek, Brussels), is a Belgian Flemish politician, currently serving as the President of the European Council.

As a member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party, he previously served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 30 December 2008 to 25 November 2009. As Prime Minister, he was succeeded by Yves Leterme, who was also his predecessor.

On 19 November 2009^[3] Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council under the Treaty of Lisbon.^[4] He took up this position on 1 December 2009,^[5][6] and is elected to chair the institution until 31 May 2012.^[7]

[edit] Political career

• Chairman of national CVP's youth council (1973–1977)
• Member of national CVP's bureau (1978–present)
• Member of the Belgian Senate (1988–1995)
• Secretary of State for Finance and for Small and Medium Enterprises (1988)
• Chairman of CVP (1988–1993)
• Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Budget (1993–1999)
• Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (1995–2000)
• Minister of State (2004–present)
• President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (2007–2008)
• Prime Minister of Belgium (2008–2009)
• President of the European Council (designated)

[edit] Early political career

This section requires expansion.

"A trained economist, Van Rompuy worked at the Belgian central bank from 1972 to 1975 before going into politics, where he had stints in government in the 1980s and 1990s. As budget minister, he helped drive down Belgium’s debt from a peak of 135 percent of gross domestic product in 1993. It fell to below 100 percent of GDP in 2003."^[8]

Van Rompuy is an alumnus of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,^[9] and was the Vice President of the CVP Youth from 1973 to 1975. From 1978 onward, he was a member of the National Bureau of the CVP, from 1975 to 1980 he worked in the ministerial cabinets of Leo Tindemans and Gaston Geens and from 1988 to 1993 he was the President of the CVP.

[edit] Belgian Minister of Budget (1993–1999)

He also was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget from September 1993 to July 1999.

[edit] Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (1999–2007)

After his party's defeat in the 1999 Belgian general election, he became a member of the Chamber of Representatives. In 2004, he was designated Minister of State.

[edit] Position on Turkey joining the European Union

In 2004, he stated "An enlargement [of the EU] with Turkey is not in any way comparable with previous enlargement waves. Turkey is not Europe and will never be Europe." He continued "But it's a matter of fact that the universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also the fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."^[10]

[edit] President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (2007–2008)

This section requires expansion.

In 2007, he became president of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.

[edit] Prime Minister of Belgium

On 12 July 2007, Van Rompuy was elected as the President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.^{[citation needed]} On 28 December 2008, following the 2007–2008 Belgian political crisis, Van Rompuy was asked by King Albert II to form a new government^[11] after he was reluctant to take up the role of Prime Minister.^[12] He was sworn in as Belgian Prime Minister on 30 December 2008.

[edit] Taxes

On 13 October 2009 Bloomberg reported that the government of Herman Van Rompuy would seek to "Tax Banks, Nuclear Power to Tame Deficit".^[13]

[edit] Quote on financial recovery

“We are in the early stages of a recovery and at this time it is important not to weaken burgeoning confidence and to lay the foundations of a sustainable recovery,” Van Rompuy said in a speech to Parliament today in Brussels. “Most important is to keep the direction. That will also provide stability and support.” As reported by Bloomberg on 13 October 2009.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Policy on government debt

On 13 October Bloomberg reported the following about Van Rompuy's Government Debt Policy: "Belgium will trim its budget deficit to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2011 from almost 5.7 percent both this year and next, according to a slide presentation handed out by State Secretary for the Budget Melchior Wathelet. Van Rompuy told Parliament earlier today that the deficit would widen to 5.4 percent of GDP this year. Belgium’s deficit will be little changed next year as the shortfall at the level of regional governments and municipalities will widen to 1.5 percent of GDP from 0.7 percent, offsetting efforts by the federal government to trim its deficit. Government debt will start exceeding one year’s worth of national output as of 2010, according to European Commission forecasts. Belgium had trimmed debt to as little as 84 percent of GDP in 2007, before bailouts of Fortis, Dexia SA, KBC Group NV and mutual insurer Ethias Group increased the nation’s borrowing costs and inflated the debt ratio to 89.6 percent at the end of last year."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Negotiations and dispute with GDF Suez

On 22 October 2009 Reuters reported that the Van Rompuy Government had signed a commitment with GDF Suez for nuclear power fees to Belgium. The outstanding dispute with GDF concerns the €250 million fee that Belgium is attempting to charge GDF for 2009 as part of its "Renewable Energy Fund" as stated in the article: "Belgium has also charged nuclear producers a total of 250 million euros for 2008 and the same for 2009, as well as 250 million euros this year payable to a renewable energy fund. These fees remain in dispute. The producers are challenging the 2008 payment in Belgium's constitutional court. A spokesman for Van Rompuy said the government would pass a law to enforce the 500 million euro charge for this year, adding that this could also be contested by GDF Suez."^[14]

[edit] President of the European Council

On 11 November 2009, Mario Borghezio, Italian member of European Parliament mentioned that potential future European president and Foreign Affairs minister like Jan Peter Balkenende, David Miliband, Herman Van Rompuy could be the candidate of Bilderberg group and Trilateral commission instead of being candidates of their home country political party.^[15]

The next day, Herman Van Rompuy came to the Castle of the Valley of the Duchess for a meeting held by Bilderberg group. He made a speech about his vision of the European governance. He explained that Europe should become federalist like the United States of America, and thus apply a European Union wide tax.^[16]

On 19 November 2009, Van Rompuy was chosen to be the first full-time President of the European Council, a position he took up on 1 December 2009, upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Gordon Brown also praised Van Rompuy as "a consensus-builder" who had "brought a period of political stability to his country after months of uncertainty".^[17] This opinion is shared by others; he has been described as a painstaking builder of impossible agreements (l'horloger des compromis impossibles)^[18] A statement made by Van Rompuy at a news conference after his selection illustrates his approach:

"Every country should emerge victorious from negotiations. A negotiation that ends with a defeated party is never a good negotiation. I will consider everyone's interests and sensitivities. Even if our unity remains our strength, our diversity remains our wealth."^[19]

In a November 2009 press conference, Van Rompuy related to global governance by stating: "2009 is also the first year of global governance with the establishment of the G20 in the middle of a financial crisis; the climate conference in Copenhagen is another step towards the global management of our planet."^[20] Van Rompuy referred to the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009.

[edit] Family

Van Rompuy is married to Geertrui Windels with whom he has 4 children.^[21]

His younger brother, Eric Van Rompuy, is also a politician in the CD&V and was a minister in the Flemish Government from 1995 to 1999. His sister, Tine Van Rompuy, is a member of the Workers Party of Belgium. His father, Vic Van Rompuy, was an economics professor.^[22]

[edit] See also

• Catherine Ashton (High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy)

[edit] Bibliography

• De kentering der tijden, Lannoo, 1979
• Hopen na 1984, Davidsfonds, 1984
• Het christendom. Een moderne gedachte, Davidsfonds, 1990
• Vernieuwing in hoofd en hart. Een tegendraadse visie, Davidsfonds, 1998
• De binnenkant op een kier. Avonden zonder politiek, Lannoo, 2000
• Dagboek van een vijftiger, Davidsfonds, 2004
• Op zoek naar wijsheid, Davidsfonds, 2007

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website (Dutch)
• President of the European Council website

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