Biography

Herman De Croo

Member of Flemish Parliament

Minister of State

Former speaker of the House

Honorary Mayor

Civil status:         Belgian, married to barrister Françoise Desguin, 2 children

Languages:         Thorough knowledge of Dutch, French and English

Home address:  Lepelstraat 57

9660 Brakel (Belgium)

Tel. : +32 (0)55 42 32 04 – Fax. : +32 (0)55 42 66 57

Office address:  House of Representatives

1008 Brussels (Belgium)

Tel. : +32 (0)2 549 87 13 – Fax. : +32 (0)2 549 84 35

Website:             www.hermandecroo.be

E-Mail : herman@decroo-desguin.be

EDUCATION AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Doctor of Law: Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), 1961, 1st class honours in five successive years

Bachelor of Political Science: Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), 1960, 1st class honours in two successive years

               Scholarship of the “Transporteurs belges au Congo” (1960)

               Fulbright Scholarship “ Chicago Law School “ USA (1961-1962)

               British Council Scholarship (1965)  Study of English Parliamentary Law

PUBLICATIONS

De Croo, Herman, m.m.v. Philippe Seigneur, Parlement et gouvernement : problèmes institutionnels à travers une session parlementaire, Brussel, Bruylant, 1965

De Croo, Herman & Robert Huenens, Het parlement aan het werk, Brussel, Bruylant, 1966

De Croo, Herman, De wereld volgens Herman De Croo, Antwerpen, Icarus, 1998

De Croo, Herman, België barst?: Vragen aan de separatisten – Que la Belgique crève? : Questions aux séparatistes, Tielt, Lannoo, 2008

De Croo, Herman & Karel Cambier, De Croo met twee nullen. 1001 Decrooïsmen, Roeselare, Roularta, 2009

De Croo, Herman, Geworteld in het leven. Mijn autobiografie, Tielt, Lannoo, 2018

De Croo, Herman, Enraciné dans la vie. Autobiographie, Brussel, Editions Racine, 2018

Prevenier, Walter (red.), Herman De Croo. Visionair liberaal. 50 jaar in het parlement. Een maatschappelijk bewogen leven, Gent / Brussel, Liberaal Archief/Liberas  / VUBPRESS, 2018

CAREER

Political career

               Member of the Flemish Parliament (2014 – )

               Elected MP, uninterrupted since March 1968 (Liberal MP for the district Aalst-Oudenaarde and now for the province of East Flanders)

               Former Minister of National Education (1974-1977)

               First Alderman (finance and personnel) of Brakel (merger of 8 councils) (1977-1982; 1994-2000)

               Former Minister of Post, Telegram and Telecommunication (1980 and 1981-1985)

               Former Minister of Pensions (1980)

               Former Minister of Transport (1981-1985 and 1985-1988)

               Former Minister of Foreign Trade (1985-1988)

               Former Chairman of the V.L.D. (Flemish Liberal Party) (September 1995 – June 1997)

               Member of the Crown Council (Minister of State, 3 June 1998)

               Chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee on European Affairs (July 1999-July 2010)

               Mayor of Michelbeke (1964-1971)

               Member of the Bureau of the House of Representatives (since July 1999)

               Mayor of Brakel (2000-2012)

               Vice-President of the House of Representatives (12 July 2007- 23 April 2009)

               Speaker of the House of Representatives (1st July 1999 – 12th July 2007)

               Open VLD Group Leader in the House (July 2010 – July 2011)

European activities

               Chairman of the European Council of Ministers of Foreign Trade (1987)

               Chairman of the European Council of Ministers of Transport (1982 and 1987)

               Chairman of the Extended Eurocontrol Commission (1987)

               Chairman of the “Wise Men Committee” (1993-1994) on the crisis in the European aviation sector

               Chairman of the European Transport Safety Council (1994 – )

Professional career

               Barrister at the Oudenaarde Bar (1961 – )

               Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School (1961-1962)

               Lecturer at the U.L.B. (1963 to 1968)

               Associate Professor (1973)

               Professor Emeritus of the Law faculty of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (V.U.B.) (1986-2005)

MISCELLANEOUS

               Former president of the Paul Hymans Centre (former Study Centre of the Belgian Liberal Party) (1978-2003)

               President-Founder of the International Automobile Centre “Autoworld” (veteran cars collection) (1984 – )

               President of MISC.be (study and inventory of classical music) (1973 – )

               President of the Princess Lilian Foundation (cardiology) (1986 – )

               President of the EastWest Institute Advisory Council (2005 – )

               President of the Belgian Reference Centre for the Expertise on Central Africa (2006 – )

               Belgian Representative in the Reflection Group for OECD DAC (2008-2009)

               Vice-President of the Carnegie Hero Fund Belgium

HONOURS

Belgian

               Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold (RD 05.11.1981)

               Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown (RD 14.11.1991)

               Civil Cross 1st Class (RD 13.05.1999)

Foreign

               France: Chevalier dans l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur

               Sweden: Grand Cross of the Pole Star

               The Comores Islands: Grand Officier du Croissant Vert

               Mexico: Grand Croix de l’Aigle Aztèque

               Norway: Grand Cross in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit

               Italy: Gran Cavaliere Merito

               Korea: Gwanghua Medal of Diplomatic Merit

               Portugal: Grand Cross in the Order of the Infante Henri

               The Netherlands: Benelux Europe award 2005 and Grand Cross in the Orde van Oranje-Nassau

               Kazakhstan: Doctor honoris causa at the University of Astana

               Grand-Duche de Luxembourg: Grand Cross in the Ordre de la Couronne de Chène

               Denmark: Grand Cross in the Dannebrogordenen

               Finland: Grand Cross of Commander in the Order of the White Rose

               Poland: Grand Cross in the Orde van Verdienste

               Greece: Grand Cross in the Order of Honour