Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy (Dutch: [ˈɦɛrmɑɱ vɑn ˈrɔmpœy] ; born 31 October 1947) is a Belgian politician who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2008 to 2009, and later as the first permanent president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014.
Van Rompuy, a politician from Belgium's Christian Democratic and Flemish party, served as the 49th prime minister of Belgium from 30 December 2008 until 25 November 2009, when he was succeeded by his predecessor, Yves Leterme. On 19 November 2009, the European Council, which consists of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, selected Van Rompuy as its first full-time President under the Treaty of Lisbon. His term officially began on 1 January 2010 and was set to run until 31 May 2012 On 1 March 2012, he was re-elected for a second and final term, serving from 1 June 2012 to 30 November 2014. In 2019, he was appointed chairman of the board of the College of Europe.
Born in Etterbeek, Brussels, Herman Achille Van Rompuy was the son of Victor Lodewijk Maurits "Vic" van Rompuy (Begijnendijk, 27 February 1923 – Begijnendijk, 14 November 2004), a later Professor of Economics, and wife Germaine Geens (Begijnendijk, 1 December 1921 – Begijnendijk, 23 November 2004), he attended Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Brussels until 1965, where Ancient Greek and Latin were his main subjects. During his early teens, he was an avid rock and roll fan, particularly of American singer Elvis Presley.
Later, he studied at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and received a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1968, and a master's degree in applied economics in 1971. From 1972 to 1975, he worked at the Belgian Central Bank.
Between 1980 and 1987, he was a lecturer at the Handelshogeschool Antwerpen (now Lessius University College). From 1982, he was also taught at the Vlaamse Economische Hogeschool Brussel (VLEKHO), which later became part of Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel and is now the University of Leuven Brussels campus.
Van Rompuy is married to Geertrui Windels, with whom he has four children: Peter (born 1980), Laura (born 1981), Elke (born 1983), and Thomas (born 1986). His eldest son, Peter, is involved in the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party and was a candidate in the 2009 Belgian regional elections.
His younger brother, Eric Van Rompuy, is also a politician in the CD&V and served as a minister in the Flemish Government from 1995 to 1999. His sister, Tine Van Rompuy, is affiliated with the Workers' Party of Belgium. His another sister, Anita Van Rompuy, is not politically active and is married to Arne van der Graesen.
Van Rompuy was the chairman of the national Christian People's Party's (CVP) youth council (1973–1977). From 1975 to 1980, he worked in the ministerial cabinets of Leo Tindemans and Gaston Geens. In 1978 he was elected a member of the national CVP's bureau (1978–present). He first was elected to the Belgian Senate in 1988, and served until 1995. In 1988 he briefly served as Secretary of State for Finance and Small and Medium Enterprises before becoming the national chairman of the CVP (1988–1993).
Belgian Minister of Budget (1993–1999)
Van Rompuy was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget from September 1993 to July 1999, in the two governments led by Jean-Luc Dehaene. As budget minister, together with finance minister Philippe Maystadt, he helped drive down Belgium's debt from a peak of 135% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1993. It fell to below 100% of GDP in 2003.
Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (1995–2009)
He was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in the 1995 general election, but as he remained a minister, he was barred from taking the seat while holding that office. After his party's defeat in the 1999 Belgian general election, he became a member of the Chamber of Representatives. He was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. In 2004, he was designated Minister of State.
Position on Turkish accession to the European Union
Before he was president, Van Rompuy expressed reticence about possible Turkish membership of the EU. In 2004, he stated "An enlargement [of the EU] with Turkey is not in any way comparable with previous enlargement waves. Turkey is not Europe and will never be Europe." He continued "But it's a matter of fact that the universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also the fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."
As President, Van Rompuy has avoided opposing Turkish membership of the EU. On 23 December 2010, he said "Turkish reform efforts have delivered impressive results." He continued "Turkey plays an ever more active role in its neighbourhood. Turkey is also a full-standing member of the G-20, just like five EU countries and the EU itself. In my view, even before an outcome of the negotiations, the European Union should develop a close partnership with the Turkish Republic."
President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (2007–2008)
After eight years in opposition, CD&V (formerly known as CVP) returned to government. On 12 July 2007, Van Rompuy was elected as the president of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, succeeding Herman De Croo.
On 28 December 2008, following the 2007–2008 Belgian political crisis, Van Rompuy was asked by King Albert II to form a new government after he was reluctant to take up the role of prime minister. He was sworn in as Belgian prime minister on 30 December 2008.