Karel de gucht biography of martin
De Gucht was born in OvermereBelgium. He entered politics at a young age, and became president of the Flemish Liberal Students while studying at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels. He graduated with a master's degree in Law and practised as a lawyer, mainly in commercial matters, at the bar of Ghent. He later taught European Law at his university.
De Gucht became a member of the European Parliament in and fulfilled this mandate until In he was the rapporteur of a landmark Parliamentary Declaration on the Fundamental Rights, leading eventually to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Unionwhich was later integrated as an essential part of the Treaty of Lisbon. De Gucht entered the Flemish Parliament after the elections of and moved to the Belgian Federal Parliament inwhere he remained until In he was elected party president of the Flemish liberal party Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten.
Although he was elected to the Federal Parliament in the general election on 18 May and to the European Parliament in the elections of Junehe occupied the first seat only very briefly and the second not at all. He served as deputy prime minister in — He oversaw the start of trade negotiations with Japan and Vietnamresumed talks with Mercosur and began investment agreement negotiations with China.
He also played a key role in the conclusion of an Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukrainewhich was a direct cause of Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity. At the end of his mandate he enjoyed a strong reputation within the European Commission because of the progression in the trade portfolio during his mandate and because of his strong views on European policy questions.
On a trip to Africa in lateDe Gucht sparked a diplomatic controversy when he said that "there is a problem with the political class in the Congo " and questioned its ability to tackle corruption. Subsequent news stories suggested his concerns were well-founded. In November he was accused by an anonymous person and by the president of the extreme-right party Vlaams Belang of insider trading.
De Gucht has never abused his inside knowledge of the Fortis situation, more specifically the loss in the value of its shares", and closed the case. Some critics accused him of being over-enthusiastic about the TTIP, playing down potential risks to European small and medium-sized companies associated with the so-called Investor-state dispute settlement ISDS mechanism, and even of ignoring public concerns about the ISDS.
De Gucht is married to Mireille Schreurs, who is a judge. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Belgian politician. In this Dutch namethe surname is De Gucht. Early life and education [ edit ]. Political career [ edit ].
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Karel de gucht biography of martin
Honours [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Publications [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Retrieved 3 October BBC News. Retrieved 6 January His legal expertise has played a pivotal role in shaping his political views and policies. De Gucht's appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs has been perceived as a shift to the political right.
This is attributed to his opposition to granting electoral rights to foreign citizens, a position he held as leader of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats VLD. De Gucht was briefly removed as VLD leader in early due to his controversial stance on immigration. However, he was reinstated after regional elections in June of the same year.
De Gucht is married and has two children. His family life has provided him with balance and stability amidst his demanding political career. Contact About Privacy. Ruslan Bodelan.