Louis Michel, Belgium
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid
Prior to his current position as the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian
Aid, Louis Michel held positions as European Commissioner for Research, Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Institutional Reform of Belgium from July 1999 to
July 2004. In his current position, he is in charge of development policy & humanitarian aid in the
European Commission under the Presidency of M.Barroso.
Both in his capacity as Belgium’s Foreign Minister and as European Commissioner for Development,
he has worked extensively in Africa, including performing an instrumental role in the peace
process for Congo-Kinshasa. Mr. Michel’s previous professional activities include being a Guest
Professor at the University of Liège. He was a member of the Jodoigne town council from 1977
to 1982 and Mayor from 1983 to 2004. From 1978 to 2004 he was a Member of the Belgian Federal
Parliament. He was the Chairman of the Francophone Liberal Party, the Mouvement Réformateur,
and is a leading figure in the Mouvement. His titles and distinctions are numerous, and he has been
published extensively since 1980.