Louis Michel
| Louis Michel | |
|---|---|
Michel at the Central African Republic Development Partner Round Table
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| European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid | |
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In office 22 November 2004 – 17 July 2009 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by |
Poul Nielson Joe Borg |
| Succeeded by | Karel De Gucht |
| European Commissioner for Research | |
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In office 18 July 2004 – 21 November 2004 |
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| President | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Philippe Busquin |
| Succeeded by | Janez Potočnik (Science and Research) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
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In office 12 July 1999 – 18 July 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Guy Verhofstadt |
| Preceded by | Erik Derycke |
| Succeeded by | Karel De Gucht |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Louis Hortense Omer Charles Michel 2 September 1947 Tienen, Belgium |
| Political party | Reformist Movement (2002–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal Reformist Party (Before 2002) |
| Profession | Teacher |
Louis Hortense Omer Charles Michel (born 2 September 1947) is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a Member of the European Parliament. Michel is a prominent member of the French-speaking liberal party, the Mouvement Réformateur. He is the father of Charles Michel, the current Prime Minister of Belgium.
From 1968 to 1978, before dedicating his life to his political career, Michel taught English, Dutch and German in the Provincial School of Jodoigne, a rural town 25 miles from Brussels.
From 1967 to 1977, Michel was chairman of the Young Liberals in the district of Nivelles. Then he became alderman in Jodoigne from 1977 to 1983, "secretary-general" of the Parti Réformateur Libéral (PRL) political party from 1980 to 1982 and chairman of the PRL from 1982 to 1990 and from 1995 to 1999.
He was a member of the Belgian federal parliament from 1978 to 2004, first as a representative (1978–1999) and then as a senator (1999–2004).
Michel was the Belgian foreign minister and Vice Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004. During his time in office, he pursued former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for crimes against humanity and played an active role in trying to bring peace to the war-weary Great Lakes region of central Africa.
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