About
Léo Tindemans (1922-2014) was a Belgian statesman, member of the Christian Democratic party (CVP, later CD&V). Born in Zwijndrecht, he fled to France during the German invasion of 1940. He studied economics in Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, and Harvard. Mayor of Edegem (1965-1973), he became Minister for Community Relations (1968-1972), preparing the first state reform towards federalism. Prime Minister from 1974 to 1978, he resigned after the Egmont Pact controversy. He authored the Tindemans Report (1975) on European economic and monetary union. First president of the European People's Party (1976-1985), MEP (1979), Foreign Minister (1981-1989), he received the Charlemagne Prize in 1976. He died in 2014.
* 1922-04-16 — † 2014-12-26
Major works
- Tindemans Report (1975)political report
Key milestones
- 1974Becomes Prime Minister of Belgium.
- 1976Awarded the Charlemagne Prize for his commitment to European unity.
- 1979Elected to the European Parliament with a record 983,600 preference votes.
Themes
Belgian federalismEuropean integrationChristian democracyEconomic and monetary unionDiplomacy
Sources: cvce.eu · vrt.be