Pierre Harmel
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The Count Harmel | |
|---|---|
 Harmel in 1965 | |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 28 July 1965 – 19 March 1966 | |
| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Théo Lefèvre |
| Succeeded by | Paul Vanden Boeynants |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 9 October 1973 – 7 June 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Struye |
| Succeeded by | Robert Vandekerckhove |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 March 1911 Humanist Democratic Centre |
| Alma mater | University of Liège |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Pierre Charles José Marie, Count Harmel (French pronunciation:
Early life
He was born in
Mobilized in 1940, he took part in the
Political career
Early political career
Member of the
Harmel represented Belgium at the fourth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1949. He subsequently was member of several governments in the 1950s and 1960s.
School War
During his period as Minister of Education (8 June 1950 until 22 April 1954), Harmel increased the wages of teachers in private (i.e. Catholic) schools and introduced laws linking the subsidies for private schools to the number of pupils. These measures were perceived by the secularists (i.e. the anti-clerical Liberals and Socialists) as a declaration of war. When the 1954 elections brought to power a coalition of Socialists and Liberals, the new Education Minister,
Minister of Justice, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Harmel was Minister of Justice in the second government led by Gaston Eyskens (23 June 1958 – 6 November 1958), and then Minister of Culture (6 November 1958 – 3 September 1960) and Minister of the Civil Service (3 September 1960 – 25 April 1961) in the third Eyskens cabinet.
Prime Minister of Belgium from 28 July 1965 until 19 March 1966, Harmel led a coalition comprising Christian Democrats and Socialists. Finally, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Liberal-Christian Democratic coalition led by Paul Vanden Boeynants (19 March 1966 – 7 February 1968). As Foreign Minister he chaired the opening meeting of the enlargement negotiations between the EEC and the four applicants for Community membership in June 1970. Indeed, Harmel's opening statement to the enlargement conference has since formed the basis of the Community opening position for future enlargement discussions.
Harmel Doctrine
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he submitted a report titled "Future Tasks of the Alliance" to the NATO council of ministers.[2] The report, which was approved by the council in December 1967, contained the so-called "Harmel Doctrine".[3] It advocated a strong defence combined with good diplomatic relations with the countries of the Warsaw Pact. The Harmel Doctrine helped to pave the way for the East-West détente of the early 1970s, which led to the 1975 Helsinki Summit and the creation of the OSCE.[4][5] Harmel himself visited several Warsaw Pact countries.
Later career
After 25 years in the Chamber of Deputies, Harmel was Senator from 1971 until 1977. He was made a
Personal life
Harmel was married to Marie-Claire Van Gehuchten from 22 May 1946. Together they had 6 children, four sons and two daughters.[1] Harmel died on 15 November 2009 at the age of 98. His wife died in 2018.[6]
Honours
Croix de Guerre.[7]- Belgium: Minister of state, by Royal Decree.[7]
- Belgium: Member of the Royal Academy.[7]
- Belgium: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.[7]
- Belgium: Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold II.[7]
- Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saints Michael and George.[7]
- Commander in the National Order of the Leopard.[7]
Bibliography
- Vincent Dujardin, Pierre Harmel, Brussels, Le Cri 2004.
References
- ^ a b Pierre Harmel (1911–2009) – website ODIS (Dutch language)
- ^ Trakimavicius, Lukas. "NATO at 70: Lessons from the Cold War". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Trakimavicius, Lukas. "NATO at 70: Lessons from the Cold War". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Trakimavicius, Lukas. "NATO at 70: Lessons from the Cold War". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "How the Harmel Report Helped Build the Transatlantic Security Framework". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (18 November 2009). "Pierre Harmel, Belgian Who Helped Reshape NATO, Dies at 98". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g "HARMEL".
External links
- Pierre Harmel on website of Belgian Federal Government
- The NATO Archives' Subject Files on the Harmel Report, from Parallel History Project
- Weber, Bruce. (18 November 2009) "Pierre Harmel, Belgian Who Helped Reshape NATO, Dies at 98". The New York Times.
- Pierre Harmel in ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
- Archives of Pierre Harmel in ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
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