Jean Rey (politician)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
Vice President | Sicco Mansholt | |
---|---|---|
Preceded by | Walter Hallstein | |
Succeeded by | Franco Maria Malfatti | |
European Commissioner for External Relations | ||
In office 7 January 1958 – 2 July 1967 | ||
President | Walter Hallstein | |
Preceded by | Position established | |
Succeeded by | Edoardo Martino | |
Personal details | ||
Born | Jean Philpe Rey 15 July 1902 Liège, Belgium | |
Died | 19 May 1983 Liège, Belgium | (aged 80)|
Resting place | Brussels Cemetery, Evere, Brussels, Belgium | |
Political party | Liberal Reformist Party (1971–) | |
Other political affiliations | Party for Freedom and Progress (Before 1971) | |
Alma mater | University of Liège | |
Jean Rey (15 July 1902 – 19 May 1983) was a Belgian Liberal politician who served as the second president of the European Commission from 1967 to 1970. He served as European Commissioner for External Relations from 1958 to 1967. The 1983–1984 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.
Early life
Born in
In the wake of World War II, he was one of the most vocal opponents of the "policy of independence" (neutrality) supported by successive Belgian governments and
Career after World War II
After the war, he became an advocate of the federalisation of Belgium. As early as 1947 he promoted, together with five other members of Parliament (among whom Julien Lahaut), a bill on the organisation of a federal state. If passed, the new Constitution would have transformed Belgium into a Confederation consisting of two States, Flanders and Wallonia, and the federal region of Brussels. However, a majority in the Belgian Parliament refused to take the proposal into consideration.
Rey was Minister of Reconstruction from 1949 until 1950, and Minister of Economy from 1954 until 1958. As such, he was involved both in the early development of the
Member of the commission (Hallstein Commission) of the CEE from 1958 until 1967, responsible for external relations, he played an important role in the negotiations of the Kennedy Round (1964–1967).
In 1967, he succeeded Walter Hallstein as President of the European Commission (he was the first President of the Commission of the merged CSCE, CEE and EAEC). Still a convinced federalist, he undertook to reinforce the Community institutions. He won increased powers for the European Parliament and advocated its election by universal suffrage. During his presidency, he oversaw the completion of the customs union (1968).
He also played an important role the
Finally, in 1970, the last year of this mandate, Rey won the European governments' support for his proposal to give the Community "own resources". This meant that the EEC no longer depended exclusively on contributions by the member states, but could complete these with revenues from customs duties, levies on agricultural products from outside the Community, in addition to a share of the VAT revenue.
From 1964 until 1974, Rey was chairman of the board of the College of Europe in Bruges. He presided the over
Jean Rey also remained active in Belgian politics. He became the éminence grise of the French-speaking liberals who broke away from the unitary Party for Freedom and Progress to form the Parti Réformateur et Libéral Wallon (PRLW) in 1976.
Jean Rey died in his native city Liège. In the
References
- ^ Jean Rey (1902–1983) Archived 1 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
Sources
- Jean Rey (EU)
- Address given by Jean Rey on the merger of the executive bodies (Strasbourg, 20 September 1967)