On the occasion of the Graduation Ceremony of CERIS, H.E. Mr. Herman De Croo, Minister of State, Honorary Speaker of the House, Former Minister, Deputy and Mayor delivered a lecture on “Belgium in the International Relations” on Monday October 10th, 2022. The ceremony took place in the presence of many ambassadors, the President of Academic Board of CERIS (Since 2016) Professor Baron Marc Bossuyt, the President of Executive Board of CERIS (Since 2022) Professor Guy Olivier Faure, the Vice President of CERIS (Since 2021) Nicholas Williams, the General Secretary of CERIS Ms. Nadia Karorero and the Director of CERIS Mr. Nicolas Cornil.
H.E. Mr. Herman De Croo is an old lion of Belgian politics. He has a Ph. D. in Law of this University (the “Université Libre de Bruxelles”) and he did study also at the Chicago LawSchool. He is emeritus professor of the Free University of Brussels (VUB). From the age of 27 on, he has been active in municipal politics inter alia as Mayor of Michelbeke (1965 – 1971) and of Brakel (2001 – 2012) in the so-called Flemish Ardennes.
He was a Member of Parliament for more than 50 years, first he was a member of the Federal Parliament from 1968 till 2014 and, from then on, till 2019 as a member of the Flemish Parliament. He was a member of the Belgian Government from 1974 till 1977 and from 1980 till 1988. As a Minister he was in charge of National Education, the Post Office, Pensions, Communications and Foreign Trade. He was the President of his political party, the Flemish Liberals, from 1995 till 1997. Since 1998, he is Minister of State. He has also been the President of the House of Representatives for eight years from 1999 till 2007.
He fulfilled numerous scientific activities as well as a great variety of public functions and mandates in Belgium and in Europe for which he received high distinctions in Belgium and in several foreign countries. Mr. Herman De Croo has been the chairman of the Belgian reference center for the Expertise on Central Africa, abbreviated as E-CA/CRE-AC, since its foundation in 28 november 2006. Last but not least, his son, Alexander, is currently the Prime Minister of Belgium.