Age, Biography and Wiki

Karel De Gucht was born on 27 January, 1954 in Overmere, Belgium, is a Belgian politician. Discover Karel De Gucht's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 70 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation N/A
Age 70 years old
Zodiac Sign Aquarius
Born 27 January, 1954
Birthday 27 January
Birthplace Overmere, Belgium
Nationality Belgium

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 27 January. He is a member of famous Politician with the age 70 years old group.

Karel De Gucht Height, Weight & Measurements

At 70 years old, Karel De Gucht height not available right now. We will update Karel De Gucht's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Karel De Gucht's Wife?

His wife is Mireille Schreurs

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Mireille Schreurs
Sibling Not Available
Children 2, including Jean-Jacques

Karel De Gucht Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Karel De Gucht worth at the age of 70 years old? Karel De Gucht’s income source is mostly from being a successful Politician. He is from Belgium. We have estimated Karel De Gucht's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Politician

Karel De Gucht Social Network

Instagram
Linkedin
Twitter
Facebook
Wikipedia Karel De Gucht Wikipedia
Imdb

Timeline

1954

Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht (born 27 January 1954) is a Belgian politician who was the European Commissioner for Trade from February 2010 until 31 October 2014.

1980

De Gucht became a member of the European Parliament in 1980 and fulfilled this mandate until 1994.

1989

In 1989 he was the rapporteur of a landmark Parliamentary Declaration on the Fundamental Rights, leading eventually to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which was later integrated as an essential part of the Treaty of Lisbon.

1994

De Gucht entered the Flemish Parliament after the elections of 1994 and moved to the Belgian Federal Parliament in 2003, where he remained until 2004.

1999

In 1999 he was elected party president of the Flemish liberal party (Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten).

2003

Although he was elected to the Federal Parliament in the general election on 18 May 2003 and to the European Parliament in the elections of June 2004, he occupied the first seat only very briefly and the second not at all.

2004

Previously, he served as Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2009 and as the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response from 2009 to 2010.

De Gucht was born in Overmere, Belgium.

He entered politics at a young age, and became president of the Flemish Liberal Students while studying at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels.

He graduated with a master's degree in Law and practised as a lawyer, mainly in commercial matters, at the bar of Ghent.

He later taught European Law at his university.

He entered the Belgian government on 18 July 2004 as Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

On a trip to Africa in late 2004, De Gucht sparked a diplomatic controversy when he said that "there is a problem with the political class in the Congo" and questioned its ability to tackle corruption.

De Gucht received a lot of informal support in diplomatic circles and media and refused to retract his statement.

Subsequent news stories suggested his concerns were well-founded.

2006

He was Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE in 2006.

2007

He was a Member of the Security Council of the United Nations (2007–08) and Member of the European Council (2004–09).

2008

He served as deputy prime minister in 2008–2009.

In November 2008 he was accused by an anonymous person and by the president of the extreme-right party Vlaams Belang of insider trading.

The Ghent public prosecutor ultimately decided not to pursue an investigation in the matter stating that "from the investigations it appears that Mr. De Gucht has never abused his inside knowledge of the Fortis situation, more specifically the loss in the value of its shares", and closed the case.

Later in his career, De Gucht caused controversy by his active promotion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Some critics accused him of being over-enthusiastic about the TTIP, playing down potential risks to European small and medium-sized companies associated with the so-called Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, and even of ignoring public concerns about the ISDS.

De Gucht is married to Mireille Schreurs, who is a judge.

They live in Berlare and they have two sons, Frédéric and Jean-Jacques De Gucht.

2009

In July 2009 De Gucht was appointed as the Belgian European Commissioner, in succession of Louis Michel.

2011

He achieved important trade agreements, among others with South-Korea (2011), Colombia and Peru (2013), Central America, Singapore, Georgia, Moldavia and Ukraine (2014).

2014

Like his predecessor, he was in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, but from February 2010 onwards, he became Commissioner of Trade in the Barroso II Commission, until 31 October 2014.

He prepared and launched free trade negotiations with the United States, the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

In October 2014 he concluded CETA, the free trade agreement with Canada and the first ever agreement with a G7 member.

He oversaw the start of trade negotiations with Japan and Vietnam, resumed talks with Mercosur and began investment agreement negotiations with China.

He also concluded landmark economic partnership agreements with West Africa (ECOWAS), South Africa (SADC) and Eastern Africa (EAC), covering together 75% of African economy.

De Gucht performed his ultimate duty as a commissioner by signing in Nairobi on 31 October 2014 the agreement with the Eastern African Community (EAC), consisting of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

He also played a key role in the conclusion of an Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which was a direct cause of Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity.

At the end of his mandate he enjoyed a strong reputation within the European Commission because of the progression in the trade portfolio during his mandate and because of his strong views on European policy questions.

At the end of this mandate he decided to leave politics, except on the local level, where he will be the chairman of the local council.

De Gucht is well known for his outspoken views on different political issues.