Willy De Clercq

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Willy Clarisse Elvire Hector, Viscount De Clercq (Ghent, 8 July 1927) is a Belgian liberal politician.

After his law and notariat studies at the University of Ghent (Ghent, Belgium) and a scholarship at Syracuse University (Syracuse, United States), De Clerq became a lawyer at the Court of appeal in Ghent and a professor at Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Although he could have had a successful career in law, he got into politics. He was member of the Liberal youth and was elected municipal councillor and member of parliament.

De Clercq served in various coalition governments. He was secretary of state for the budget (1960-1961), deputy prime minister and minister of the budget from 1966 to 1968, deputy prime minister and minister of Finances in 1973-1974, minister of Finances in 1974-1977 and deputy prime minister in 1980.

De Clercq served as president of various international monetary instances and as president of the then liberal party PVV. He served for a term as a member of the European Commission,... Moreover he became Minister of state in 1985. Since 1989 he is a member of the European Parliament.

In the 21 July 2006 honours, Willy De Clercq and his wife, Fernande Fazzi, were both separately ennobled in the rank of viscount.

[edit] Source

• W. Prevenier, C. Ysebaert, L. Pareyn (Ed.), Vijftig jaar liberale praxis. Willy De Clercq vijfenzeventig jaar, 2002.
• T. Goorden, Willy De Clercq, een biografie, Lannoo, 2004, ISBN 9020957503

Preceded by Etienne Davignon

Belgian European Commissioner 1985–1989

Succeeded by Karel Van Miert