Wilfried Martens | |
|---|---|
 Martens in 1989 | |
| Leader of theEuropean People's Party-European Democrats | |
| In office 20 July 1994 – 20 July 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Leo Tindemans |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Gert Pöttering |
| President of theEuropean People's Party | |
| In office 16 July 1990 – 9 October 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jacques Santer |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Daul |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 17 December 1981 – 7 March 1992 | |
| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Mark Eyskens |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Luc Dehaene |
| In office 3 March 1979 – 6 April 1981 | |
| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Paul Vanden Boeynants |
| Succeeded by | Mark Eyskens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (1936-04-19)19 April 1936 Sleidinge, Belgium |
| Died | 9 October 2013(2013-10-09) (aged 77) Lokeren, Belgium |
| Political party | Christian People's Party |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Leuven |
Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (Dutch:[ˈʋɪlfritˈmɑrtəns]ⓘ; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served asprime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the FlemishChristian People's Party, during his premiership he oversaw thetransformation of Belgium into afederal state.[1] He was one of the founders of theEuropean People's Party.
During his time as prime minister, Martens led a series of centre-right and centre-left cabinets.[2]
Martens was born on 19 April 1936 in the village ofSleidinge,East Flanders, the son of modest small farmers.[1] He studied law at theCatholic University of Leuven, graduating in 1960.[1] Martens became active in theFlemish Movement as a student.[1] He began to draw public attention in 1957 when, as president of the Flemish Youth Committee, he organized a march to protest the lack of Flemish presence in the1958 Brussels World's Fair, and was subsequently arrested while protesting the opening of the exposition.[1]
In 1965, Martens joined the Christian People's Party or CD&V, (since renamed toChristian Democratic and Flemish).[1] He served as the party's chairman from 1972 to 1979, sitting as a deputy in theChamber of Representatives from 1974 to 1991,[1] and serving as a Senator from 1991 to 1994.
Wilfried Martens served as Prime Minister in nine coalition governments (Martens I-IX) from 3 April 1979 to 6 April 1981 and 17 December 1981 to 7 March 1992. His period in office was dominated by the economic crisis of the 1980s and the state reforms of 1980 and 1988 which set Belgium on a path tofederalism.
He co-founded theEuropean People's Party (EPP) in 1976 and was EPP President from 1992 until his death.
From 1993, he was President of theEuropean Union of Christian Democrats (EUCD), until its merger with the EPP in 1996. Martens also negotiated with Finnish politicianSauli Niinistö the merger of theEuropean Democrat Union (EDU) into the EPP (formally concluded in 2002). The successful fusion of all centre-right European organisations into the EPP – currently the largest transnationalEuropean political party with 75 member-parties from 40 countries – is widely recognised as an important achievement of his European political legacy.
From 1994 to 1998, he was a Member of the European Parliament, chairing the EPP Group.
From October 2000 to November 2001, he was also the President of theChristian Democrat International (CDI).
He re-appeared on the Belgian political stage on 22 December 2008 to help in the2007–2011 Belgian political crisis.
Martens held a doctorate in law, a degree in notarial studies, as well as a baccalaureate inThomistic philosophy from theCatholic University of Louvain. He also studied international political science atHarvard University. He practised law at theGhentcourt of appeal.
Among numerous national and international distinctions, he was honoured in 1998 with theCharles V European Award for his contribution toEuropean integration.
Martens had five children: two from his first marriage with Lieve Verschroeven (Kris and Anne) and three with Ilse Schouteden (Sarah, Sophie and Simon). After the birth of their twins in 1997 they married on 13 November 1998. Ilse Schouteden has a son from her previous marriage. In 2007 he divorced his second wife. On 27 September 2008 he marriedMiet Smet, a former Belgian minister. It was his third marriage and her first. After the death of his first wife, Martens was able to celebrate the marriage to Miet Smet in the Catholic Church, on 27 April 2013.
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Martens suffered frompancreatic cancer and ended his life viaeuthanasia on the 9th of October, 2013[3] at his home inLokeren; he was 77.[4][5]Elio Di Rupo, the Belgian prime minister, described him as a "true statesman and one of the fathers of federal Belgium".[5]Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, paid tribute to him as a "statesman of Belgium, Europe and an outstanding leader of European Parliament".[5]Jerzy Buzek, EPP MEP and former prime minister of Poland, described him as "irreplaceable".[5] He received astate funeral he was buried in the cemetery ofCampo Santo.
TheEPP think tankCentre for European Studies has been renamed after him, now being the "Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies", a decision taken during the EPP Congress inDublin held on 9 March 2014.[6]
Belgium:
Austria:Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold,Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (30 May 1985)[7]
France:
Germany: Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (7 February 1984)[10]
Greece: Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of the Phoenix
Iceland : Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Falcon (16 October 1979)[11]
Italy: Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic (20 February 1986)[12]
Mexico:"Banda" of theOrder of the Aztec Eagle (14 June 1985)[13]
Portugal:
Spain: Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of Isabella the Catholic (March 1980)[15]
Netherlands:Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of Orange-Nassau.[9]
Luxemburg: Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of the Oak Crown (20 June 1984)[9].jpg)
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1981–1992 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by Robert Vandekerckhove | President of theChristian People's Party 1972–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theEuropean People's Party 1992–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of theEuropean People's Party 1994–1999 | Succeeded by |
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