Mark Eyskens | |
---|---|
Prime Minister of Belgium | |
In office 6 April 1981 –17 December 1981 | |
Monarch | Baudouin |
Deputy | Guy Mathot Willy Claes JoséDesmarets |
Preceded by | Wilfried Martens |
Succeeded by | Wilfried Martens |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 1989–1992 | |
Prime Minister | Wilfried Martens |
Preceded by | Leo Tindemans |
Succeeded by | Willy Claes |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 1985–1988 | |
Prime Minister | Wilfried Martens |
Preceded by | Frans Grootjans |
Succeeded by | Philippe Maystadt |
In office 1980–1981 | |
Prime Minister | Wilfried Martens |
Preceded by | Paul Hatry |
Succeeded by | Robert Vandeputte |
Minister of Economic Affairs | |
In office 1981–1985 | |
Prime Minister | Wilfried Martens |
Preceded by | Willy Claes |
Succeeded by | Philippe Maystadt |
Personal details | |
Born | Leuven,Belgium | 29 April 1933
Political party | Christian Democratic and Flemish |
Spouse | Anne Rutsaert |
Alma mater | Catholic University of Leuven Columbia University |
Marc Maria Frans,Viscount Eyskens (born 29 April 1933),known as Mark Eyskens,is a Belgian economist,professor and politician in the Christian People's Party,now called Christian Democratic and Flemish,and briefly served as the prime minister of Belgium in 1981.
Eyskens was born in Leuven,the son of Gaston Eyskens,and lived for a time at the International House of New York. When Germany invaded Belgium,Eyskens and his mother fled to France but upon the Belgian capitulation,the family returned to Leuven.
In 1953,Eyskens attained a bachelor's degree in philosophy. In 1956,he became a doctor juris at the University of Leuven. In 1957,he obtained a master of arts in economics at Columbia University. In 1962,he received a doctorate in economic sciences. In 1962,he became a professor at the University of Leuven (1962–1998). From 1971 to 1976,he was chairman of the university. He was a member of the Club of Rome (1972–1978). In 2004,he was chairman of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts.
In 1962,Eyskens started his political career as a counsellor in the cabinet of the Minister of Finance AndréDequae.
In 1976,Eyskens became Secretary of State for Town and Country Planning and Housing (1976–1977,Tindemans I). Eyskens was first elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 1977. He was re-elected (elections of 1977,1981,1985,1987,1991,1978,1995,1999) and served until 2003.
He became Secretary of State for the budget and Flemish affairs (1977–1979,Tindemans II &Vanden Boeynants II),Minister of Development Aid (1979–1980,Martens I,Martens II &Martens III) and Minister of Finance (1980–1981,Martens IV). Eyskens became the 45th Prime Minister of Belgium on 6 April 1981,an office his father had held six times. His government quickly collapsed on 17 December,due to disagreements on the financing of the Walloon steel industry. After the fall of his government he served as Minister for Economical Affairs (1981–1985,Martens V) and Minister of Finance (1985–1988,Martens VI &Martens VII). Although originally not a member of the Martens VIII cabinet,on 19 June 1989 he re-entered the government when he replaced Leo Tindemans as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1989–1992,Martens VIII &Martens IX). This was the last government office he held. He served as a backbencher 1992–2003 and retired at the 2003 general election.
On 18 November 1998,Eyskens was made a Minister of State. In the 2006 provincial elections Eyskens was elected to the provincial council of Flemish Brabant. He served from 2007 until his resignation in 2009.
Eyskens is a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Panel Foundation,a member of the Advisory Board of the Itinera Institute think-tank and as Honorary President of the Olivaint Conference of Belgium. [1]
Gaston François Marie,Viscount Eyskens was a Christian democratic politician and prime minister of Belgium. He was also an economist and member of the Belgian Christian Social Party (CVP-PSC).
Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career,he was nicknamed "The Plumber",as well as "The Minesweeper",for his ability to negotiate political deadlocks.
Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian People's Party,during his premiership he oversaw the transformation of Belgium into a federal state. He was one of the founders of the European People's Party.
Leonard Clemence "Leo" Tindemans was a Belgian politician. He served as the prime minister of Belgium from 25 April 1974 until he resigned as minister on 20 October 1978. He was a member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party.
Frank Ignace Georgette Vandenbroucke is a Belgian-Flemish academic and politician of Vooruit who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo since 2020.
Luc Van den Brande is a Flemish politician,member of the CD&V and was Minister-president of Flanders from 21 January 1992 until 13 July 1999. He took the initiative to create the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB). On 6 February 2008 he became President of the European Union's Committee of the Regions for a period of two years.
Hugo Schiltz was a Belgian lawyer and politician. He was Belgian MP from 1965 to 1988 and senator from 1992 to 1995. He was also twice minister,from 1981 to 1985 in the first Flemish Government and between 1988 and 1991 in the Belgian federal government Martens VIII. He was further president of the Flemish political party Volksunie between 1975 and 1979.
Gaston C. S. A. Geens was a Belgian politician and minister-president of Flanders.
Jean Gol was a Belgian politician for the liberal Walloon party Parti Réformateur Libéral (PRL). He was a minister,on several occasions,in the Belgian government,including service as Deputy Prime Minister.
Joséphine Rebecca Marie Julienne Bertha "Fientje" Moerman is a Belgian liberal politician and currently a judge on the Constitutional Court of Belgium.
Karel Emiel Hubert,Baron Poma was a Belgian liberal and politician for the PVV.
Frans Van Cauwelaert,was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician and lawyer.
State reform,in the context of Belgium,is the ongoing process of seeking and finding constitutional and legal solutions to the problems and tensions in the different segments of the Belgian population,mostly between the Dutch-speakers of Flanders and the French-speakers of Wallonia. In general,Belgium has evolved from a unitary state to a federal state with communities,regions,and language areas.
Steven Vanackere is a Belgian politician from Flanders and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V). He held the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reform in the Leterme II government. He is the son of Leo Vanackere,who,following a political career as a Member of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate of Belgium,became the Provincial Governor of West Flanders in 1979. His grandfather,Remi Wallays,had also been a senator and had been a former Mayor of Wevelgem.
Henri "Rik" Joseph Boel was a Belgian politician and a judge.
Johan Sauwens is a Belgian politician from the province of Limburg.
Theo Kelchtermans is a Belgian politician.
The Catholic University of Leuven was one of Belgium's major universities. It split along linguistic lines after a period of civil unrest in 1967–68 commonly known as the Leuven Affair in French and Flemish Leuven,based on a contemporary slogan,in Dutch. The crisis shook Belgian politics and led to the fall of the government of Paul Vanden Boeynants. It marked an escalation of the linguistic tension in Belgium after World War II and had lasting consequences for other bilingual institutions in Belgium within higher education and politics alike. In 1970 the first of several state reforms occurred,marking the start of Belgium's transition to a federal state.
An orange–blue coalition is a type of governing coalition in Belgian politics that brings together Liberal parties and Christian democratic/humanist political parties. These coalitions are also termed Blue–Roman,corresponding to the colors of the liberal parties,and the Roman of the Roman Catholic Church for the Christian Democrats.
Rika De Backer,also known as Rika De Backer-Van Ocken,was a Belgian conservative politician. Being a member of the Christian People's Party she was the minister of culture from 1974 to 1981. She also served at the European Parliament between 1984 and 1989.