The College of Europe in Natolin was honoured to host a high-level talk with Mr Herman VAN ROMPUY, the first full-time President of the European Council (2009-2014).
This high-level talk covered a wide range of European Affairs, with President VAN ROMPUY sharing valuable experiences and insights from his distinguished career. It was an inspiring meeting, and we were proud to welcome Mr VAN ROMPUY once again as a recurrent guest at the College of Europe in Natolin!
About the speaker:
Elected as the first full-time President of the European Council in November 2009, Herman VAN ROMPUY took office when the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second (and last) term starting on 1 June 2012 and running until 30 November 2014.
At the time of his first election, Herman VAN ROMPUY was Prime Minister of Belgium. Prior to that, he had served in Belgium as Speaker of the House of Representatives (2007-2008) and in several government positions, including as Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Budget (1993-1999). He was Minister of State (2004) and Secretary of State for Finance and Small Businesses (1988).
A former economist at the National Bank of Belgium, Herman VAN ROMPUY began his political career in 1973 as national Vice-President of his party’s youth movement. He was president of the Flemish Christian Democrats (1988-1993). He served in the Belgian Parliament, in turn as a Senator (1988-1995) and Member of Parliament (1995-2009).
He is now professor at the University of Leuven and the College of Europe in Bruges, and he is the President of the Administrative Council of the College of Europe, Bruges campus.