Michel, Louis ( 1947 - )
Michel, Louis ( 1947 - )
Commissioner for development from 2004 until 2009 when he was elected to the liberal group in the European Parliament and replaced by Karel van Gucht as Belgian commissioner.
A member of the French-speaking liberal party Mouvement Réformateur, Louis Michel was Belgium's foreign minister until 2004.
Originally a professor of English, Dutch and German, Michel was an active member in the Parti Réformateur Libéral and a member of the Belgian Federal Parliament since 1978.
Appointed the Belgian foreign minister and Vice Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004, until in July 2004, the Verhofstadt government appointed Michel as its candidate for the Belgian seat on the European Commission led by José Manuel Durão Barroso, to replace former commissioner Philippe Busquin.
He was nominated on August 12, 2004 to become EU commissioner starting in November 2004. He completed Busquin's term as the European Commissioner for Science and Research and now serves as the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Development.
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