Willy De Clercq

Willy De Clercq
European Commissioner for External Relations and Trade
In office 7 January 1985 – 6 January 1989
President	Jacques Delors
Preceded by	Wilhelm Haferkamp (External Relations, Nuclear Affairs and Trade)
Succeeded by	Frans Andriessen
Personal details
Born	(1927-07-08)8 July 1927 Ghent, Belgium
Died	Ghent, Belgium
Political party	Party for Freedom and Progress
Alma mater	Ghent University Syracuse University

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

De Clercq was born in Ghent. 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.

In the 21 July 2006 honours, De Clercq and his wife, Fernande Fazzi, were both separately ennobled in the rank of viscount.

He died on 28 October 2011.

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

External links

• medbridge.org

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