Günter Verheugen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Günter Verheugen
|
|
|---|---|
Verheugen in 2007
|
|
| European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 |
|
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Ján Figeľ Olli Rehn (Enterprise and Information Society) |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Tajani (Industry and Entrepreneurship) |
| European Commissioner for Enlargement | |
| In office 13 September 1999 – 11 November 2004 Serving with Janez Potočnik
|
|
| President | Romano Prodi |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Olli Rehn |
| Member of the Bundestag | |
| In office 1983–1999 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 April 1944 Bad Kreuznach, Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1982–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Free Democratic Party (Before 1982) |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne University of Bonn |
Günter Verheugen (born on April 28, 1944) is a German politician. He played important roles in the European Union. From 1999 to 2004, he was the European Commissioner for Enlargement. This meant he helped new countries join the EU. Later, from 2004 to 2010, he was the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry. He also served as one of the five vice presidents of the Barroso Commission. After retiring, he became a professor at the European University Viadrina.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Günter Verheugen was born in Bad Kreuznach, a town in the German region of Rhineland-Palatinate. He went to university to study history, sociology, and political science. He attended both the University of Cologne and the University of Bonn.
Political Career
Verheugen started his political journey in the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP). He was the Secretary General of the FDP from 1978 to 1982. In 1982, he left the FDP and joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Many other members also left the FDP at that time.
Serving in the German Parliament (1983–1999)
In 1983, Günter Verheugen became a member of the Bundestag, which is the German parliament. He was part of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for many years, from 1983 to 1998. During this time, he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of racial separation. Verheugen showed how some German companies tried to get around international rules against apartheid.
From 1994 to 1997, he was a deputy leader of the SPD group in parliament. He also led the Broadcasting Council of Deutsche Welle, a German international broadcaster. Before the 1998 elections, he advised Gerhard Schröder on foreign affairs. Schröder later became the Chancellor of Germany.
Minister of State for European Affairs (1998–1999)
For a short time, Verheugen worked as a Minister of State in the German Foreign Office. This was under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. In 1999, Germany held the presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this time, Verheugen helped with important talks about EU policy reforms called "Agenda 2000." He then left the German parliament to become an EU Commissioner.
Member of the European Commission (1999–2010)
The German government chose Günter Verheugen to join the European Commission. This is like the government of the European Union.
First, he was the European Commissioner for Enlargement from 1999 to 2004. In this role, he helped ten new countries join the European Union in 2004. This was a very big moment for the EU.
After that, he continued in the next European Commission as the Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry. He also became one of the five vice presidents.
In 2003, Verheugen and French Commissioner Pascal Lamy suggested a plan. They wanted France and Germany to work even more closely together. This included ideas like having combined embassies and a shared seat at the United Nations Security Council.
As a Commissioner, Verheugen wanted to make rules simpler for businesses. He especially focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses. He believed that research and new ideas were key to making Europe more competitive. He also worked on making it easier to get patents in Europe.
Verheugen also suggested that the EU might tax products from countries that did not agree to low-carbon policies. This was a way to encourage more countries to fight climate change.
Later Years and Public Service
After leaving his public roles, Günter Verheugen has held several other positions. He has been an advisor for different organizations and banks.
In 2014, he became a visiting professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He taught students about political management.
From 2015, Verheugen led a project focused on helping Ukraine join the EU. This project worked on making reforms in Ukraine and finding money for its development.
Views on EU Bureaucracy
Günter Verheugen has often spoken about making the European Union's rules simpler. He believes that too many rules can make things difficult.
- "Many people still think that the more rules you make, the more 'Europe' you have." (October 2006)
- "The idea is that the Commission's job is to keep the system running, and the system makes laws. That's exactly what I want to change." (October 2006)
- "We need to ask if so many decisions really need to be made in Brussels." (June 2016)
Honours and Awards
Günter Verheugen has received several awards for his work.
From Germany
- He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
From Other Countries
- Croatia: Honorary citizen of Šibenik
- Estonia: 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
- Latvia: 1st Class of the Order of the Three Stars
- Slovakia: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross (2004)
- Czech Republic: 1st Class of the Order of the White Lion (2016)
See also
In Spanish: Günter Verheugen para niños
