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Karel Van Miert

Karel Van Miert
Karel Van Miert.jpg
European Commissioner for Competition
In office
6 January 1993 – 13 September 1999
President Jacques Delors
Jacques Santer
Manuel Marín (Acting)
Preceded by Leon Brittan
Succeeded by Mario Monti
European Commissioner for Transport and Consumer Protection
In office
6 January 1989 – 6 January 1993
President Jacques Delors
Preceded by Stanley Clinton-Davis (Environment and Transport)
Grigoris Varfis (Regional Policy and Consumer Protection)
Succeeded by Abel Matutes (Transport and Energy)
Christiane Scrivener (Taxation, the Customs Union and Consumer Policies)
Personal details
Born (1942-01-17)17 January 1942
Oud-Turnhout, Belgium
Died 22 June 2009(2009-06-22) (aged 67)
Beersel, Belgium
Political party Different Socialist Party
Alma mater Ghent University

Karel Van Miert (Dutch: [ˈkaː.rəl vɐn ˈmiːrt]; 17 January 1942 – 22 June 2009) was a Flemish politician of the Different Socialist Party and official of the European Commission.

He was born in Oud-Turnhout. He studied at Ghent University (1962–1966) and gained a degree in diplomatic sciences. In 1976 he became adjunct-national secretary of the – at that time – unitary Belgian socialist party. Two years later he became president of the Different Socialist Party. In 1989 he was appointed European commissioner responsible for transport, credit and investment and consumer policy. In 1992 he also became in charge of environment. On 26 May 1992 he was appointed Minister of State. From 1993 till 1999 he served as vice-chairman of the European commission and was responsible for competition policy. In this period Van Miert was according to The Guardian "one of the most powerful men in Europe." In 2001, he was awarded the Vlerick Award. He also worked with Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical corporation. After his departure from politics Van Miert was an international advisor to Goldman Sachs.

On 22 June 2009, 67-year-old Van Miert died at his home in Beersel, after falling from a garden ladder when he had a cardiac arrest.


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