Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene (; 7 August 1940 – 15 May 2014) 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.

A member of the Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) party and its antecedents, Dehaene's first government (1992–1995) included both Christian and Social Democrats and presided over the creation of a new constitution, effectively transforming Belgium into a federal state. His second government (1995–1999) coincided with a number of crises in Belgium, including the Dutroux scandal. The Dioxin Affair, occurring shortly before the 1999 election, led to a swing against the major parties, and Dehaene's government fell.

Following his final term as prime minister, he was active in both Belgian and European politics. He was also on UEFA's financial fair play regulatory body and managed Dexia Bank during the 2008 financial crisis. He was the last prime minister of King Baudouin's reign.

Early life and political career

Dehaene was born on 7 August 1940 in Montpellier, France, when his parents were fleeing the advance of the German army into Belgium and France. He got into politics through the ' (General Christian Workers' Union; ACW), a trade union which was closely linked to the Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party; CVP). In March 1993, Dehaene offered the King the resignation of his government, because of diverging views on how to handle the public finances. However, within a week, the differences were put aside.

After the death of King Baudouin on 31 July 1993, Dehaene's government exercised the royal function until Prince Albert was sworn in as King Albert II nine days later. During questions from the Belgian parliamentary commission into this decision he repeatedly acknowledged no regrets about the decision. He was the leading candidate to replace Jacques Delors as President of the European Commission, but British Prime Minister John Major vetoed the appointment. Dehaene led Belgium into the Euro, and in preparation for joining the Eurozone, the Dehaene government was forced to make some sharp and unpopular economic reforms.

After 1999

Later political career

Between 2000 and 2007, he sat as Burgemeester (mayor) of Vilvoorde. In 2003, he was awarded the Vlerick Award.

Between 2006 and 2007, Dehaene served as member of the Amato Group, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became known as the Treaty of Lisbon following its rejection by French and Dutch voters. After the Belgian elections of 2007, Dehaene was appointed as mediator in the process to form a new government. He was also called in to assist in the negotiations around the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde partition. In 2011, he was involved in an investigation of Manchester City F.C. over sponsorship irregularities. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier the same year and was not seeking reelection as an MEP in the 2014 elections for health reasons. Tributes were also made by Guy Verhofstadt, President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.

Honours

  • : Minister of State, by Royal Decree.
  • : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown.
  • : Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • : Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Publications

  • Sleutels voor morgen, Esopus, Hasselt, 1995, 111 p.
  • Sporen naar 2000, Icarus, Antwerp, 1999, 173 p.
  • Er is nog leven na de 16, Van Halewyck, Leuven, 2002, 208 p.
  • De Europese Uitdaging: van uitbreiding tot integratie, Van Halewyck, Leuven, 2004, 237 p.

References

  • Jean-Luc Dehaene est mort à l'âge de 73 ans at La Dernière Heure
  • IN BEELD. Oud-premier Jean-Luc Dehaene in zestien beelden at De Standaard
  • Jean-Luc Dehaene in ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
  • Archives of Jean-Luc Dehaene in ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures

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