Louis Michel

See also: Michel

Louis Michel : Belgian Politician , Minister of state, very credit in the relations with Congo.Louis Michel was born the September 2nd 1947 with Tirlemont. Current European Commissioner with the Development and the humanitarian Aid in the Commission Barroso.

Before his entry in the European commission, Louis Michel was the figurehead of the reforming Mouvement (MR.), the French-speaking party of center-right. Following its new functions, it was put at the variation of the Belgian interior policy to propose its successor Didier Reynders.

Career

Of 1968 with 1978, Louis Michel teaches English, German and Dutch with Jodoigne.

Of 1967 with 1977, he is President of the Jeunes Liberals in the district of Nivelles. Then it occupies successively the functions of alderman with Jodoigne of 1977 with 1983 and of secretary-general of the Parti Reforming Liberal (PRL) 1980 with 1982, before reaching the presidency of the party, initially of 1982 with 1990, then of 1995 with 1999, following the unexpected death of Jean Gol, his mentor.

The king Albert II granted to him in 1995 the honorary title of Minister of state.

Louis Michel is elected at the Belgian federal Parliament of 1978 with 2004, initially like deputy (1978 - 1999) then like member of the Sénat. Elected official senator in 1999 and 2003, it will yield his seat for a ministerial wallet.

Following the legislative elections of 1999, Louis Michel is named adviser by the king Albert II. At the end one week of consultations, it suggests with the sovereign a coalition rainbow between the VLD, the PRL-FDF-MCC, PS, the SP, Ecolo and Groen. At the time of the electoral campaign, it had expressed the wish to be a Minister of Interior Department to achieve the ambitious reform of the police forces, but following the insistence of the king Albert II, he becomes Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in two successive governments directed by Guy Verhofstadt, of 1999 until in July 2004. The good relationships which it maintains during its mandates with the Head of State Congolese, Joseph Kabila, will be worth to him the nickname of Kabilou .

It was, until 2004, one of the 105 members of the Convention on the future of Europe charged to write the Traité establishing a Constitution for Europe, representing the Belgian government.

In July 2004, the Belgian government indicated it candidate European Commissioner within the European commission chaired by Jose Manuel Durão Barroso.

Initially, it replaces the French-speaking Belgian Socialist Philippe Busquin in the Commission Prodi. Busquin leaving police chief with Research, indeed, is elected appointed European in June 2004. After this short interim, Louis Michel becomes commissioner in charge of the Development and the humanitarian Aid in November 2004 in the team taken along by Barraso.

He was also burgomaster of Jodoigne in the Walloon Brabant starting from 1983 and was again re-elected at this station in 2000. Its European wallet obliged it to give up this function.

Louis Michel requested a leave from May 12th to June 10th, 2007 with the European Union to deal with his party with the approach of legislative of June 10th, 2007, which was not without causing movements within the Commission and of the the European Parliament. He obtained 232.328 votes, that is to say the highest score in the French-speaking electoral college of the Senate.

At the time of the political crisis of the summer 2007, Louis Michel belonged to the Ministers of state consulted officially by the king Albert II with the castle of the View-point to leave the crisis.

Louis Michel and Congo

Louis Michel was interested much in the Democratic republic of Congo when he was Foreign Minister of 1999 to 2004 and European Commissioner with the Development and the humanitarian Aid in the Commission Barroso.

Congo was a Belgian colony of 1908 to 1960 and, since, the relations between Brussels and Kinshasa were tended (Katangaise secession supported by Belgium, assassination of the Lumumba Prime Minister by the Belgian secret services, expulsions of the Belgian ambassador in the Sixties, prohibition in Sabena to land in Kinshasa, policy of “Zairean authenticity”). It is thus with much mistrust that the media described the good relationships between Louis Michel and Joseph Kabila.

The father of Joseph Kabila, Laurent-Desired Kabila had bad relations with Brussels. Louis Michel launches the idea of a Lumumba Commission, in order to determine the role of Belgium in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. But Laurent-Desired Kabila remains being wary.

When that Kabila is assassinated, Louis Michel declares: “The shock perhaps created a moment favourable with the negotiation”. It attends the funeral and meets new president Joseph Kabila. But will be splashed soon by a scandal, according to media (RTBF) it would have touched Congolese diamonds fraudulently.

Louis Michel set up a peace process in DRC which finally put an end to the Second war of Congo in June 2003 by founding a Transition government (2003-2006). It is also under the Michel era which Belgium recognized of the crimes that it made during the colonial time, in particular those of Léopold II or those concluded by the Commission Lumumba. Congolese president Joseph Kabila paid “homage to the memory of all these pioneers” who “accepted the dream of the King Léopold II”, at the time of his visit in Brussels in 2003 when, made exceptional, the room of the representatives and the senate of the Belgian federal Parlement were joined together to meet it.

See too

Congo

  • Interview of Louis Michel in 2nd title in newspaper TV5 Africa of August 29th, 2006

References

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