Jacques Poos
Encyclopedia
Jacques Poos is a Luxembourg
ian politician
.
Born in 1953 in Luxembourg Dr. Jacques F. Poos is a trained economist and became a doctor of economics in 1961, when he graduated from the University of Lausanne. He is a long-time member of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
. In 2003 he received an honorary doctor of law degree from Panteion University of Athens, Greece. Between 1964 andn 1976 he was director and editor in Chief of the daily newspaper “Tageblatt” in Esch-sur-Alzette. In the same period he also became a member of the town council of Esch-sur-Alzette.
In July 1976 he was appointed as Minister of Finance. As the foreign minister of Luxembourg he held Presidency of the Council of the European Union
for three half-year terms in 1985, 1991 and 1997. He was Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development, first in Jacques Santer’s (from 1984 to 1996), then in Jean-Claude Junckers’s cabinets (from 1986 to 1999).
In 1991 he was one of the negotiators of the Brioni Agreement
that ended the ten-day war in Slovenia
. In May of that year, upon disembarking from an airplane en route to beginning negotiations, he declared, "The hour of Europe has dawned."
In 1999 Dr. Poos left the government and was elected as a Member of European Parliament, where he sat on the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy, and was the draftsman for Cyprus’ accession into the EU.
He is one of the most articulate defenders of a decentralized Europe, and against the pro-centralization attempts to transfer the seat of the European Parliament from Strasbourg to Brussels. In an interview on 16 April 2004, he answers the question of the young pro-Brussels journalist:
"C’est une question récurrente qui continuera à être discutée au niveau politique, mais je pense qu’il ne faut pas la regarder trop à travers le prisme du budget. Ce qu’on n’a jamais fait, c’est calculer le coût d’une centralisation extrême, de mettre tout sur un même lieu – quelqu’un dira, une «ghettoïsation». Aujourd’hui on a quand même, avec Strasbourg, une visibilité différente du Parlement européen, que tout le monde considère différent de Bruxelles. .... Et le fait que le Parlement européen siège à Strasbourg s’explique historiquement et il lui donne une certaine indépendance: ceux de Bruxelles et ceux de Strasbourg, Je pense qu’il faut absolument garder cela également à l’avenir et le défendre vis-à-vis de ceux qui n’ont pas, peut-être, suivi l’histoire européenne depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Je pense que la décentralisation dans une Union européenne a un sens. Il ne faut pas tout mettre au même endroit, même si matériellement ce serait possible, mais ce n’est pas possible." Interview de Jacques F. Poos: les trois lieux de travail du Parlement européen (Sanem, 16 avril 2004)
In 2004 he retired from political life, but he remains active as non-executive director in the boards of different national and international institutions and companies.
Dr. Jacques F. Poos is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
ian politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Born in 1953 in Luxembourg Dr. Jacques F. Poos is a trained economist and became a doctor of economics in 1961, when he graduated from the University of Lausanne. He is a long-time member of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party , abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social democratic political party in Luxembourg.The LSAP is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, having won 13 of 60 seats at the 2009 election, and has one seat in the European Parliament...
. In 2003 he received an honorary doctor of law degree from Panteion University of Athens, Greece. Between 1964 andn 1976 he was director and editor in Chief of the daily newspaper “Tageblatt” in Esch-sur-Alzette. In the same period he also became a member of the town council of Esch-sur-Alzette.
In July 1976 he was appointed as Minister of Finance. As the foreign minister of Luxembourg he held Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
for three half-year terms in 1985, 1991 and 1997. He was Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development, first in Jacques Santer’s (from 1984 to 1996), then in Jean-Claude Junckers’s cabinets (from 1986 to 1999).
In 1991 he was one of the negotiators of the Brioni Agreement
Brioni Agreement
The Brijuni Agreement is a document signed on the Brijuni islands near Pula, Croatia, on 7 July 1991 by representatives of the Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Croatia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under the political sponsorship of the European Community...
that ended the ten-day war in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. In May of that year, upon disembarking from an airplane en route to beginning negotiations, he declared, "The hour of Europe has dawned."
In 1999 Dr. Poos left the government and was elected as a Member of European Parliament, where he sat on the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy, and was the draftsman for Cyprus’ accession into the EU.
He is one of the most articulate defenders of a decentralized Europe, and against the pro-centralization attempts to transfer the seat of the European Parliament from Strasbourg to Brussels. In an interview on 16 April 2004, he answers the question of the young pro-Brussels journalist:
"C’est une question récurrente qui continuera à être discutée au niveau politique, mais je pense qu’il ne faut pas la regarder trop à travers le prisme du budget. Ce qu’on n’a jamais fait, c’est calculer le coût d’une centralisation extrême, de mettre tout sur un même lieu – quelqu’un dira, une «ghettoïsation». Aujourd’hui on a quand même, avec Strasbourg, une visibilité différente du Parlement européen, que tout le monde considère différent de Bruxelles. .... Et le fait que le Parlement européen siège à Strasbourg s’explique historiquement et il lui donne une certaine indépendance: ceux de Bruxelles et ceux de Strasbourg, Je pense qu’il faut absolument garder cela également à l’avenir et le défendre vis-à-vis de ceux qui n’ont pas, peut-être, suivi l’histoire européenne depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Je pense que la décentralisation dans une Union européenne a un sens. Il ne faut pas tout mettre au même endroit, même si matériellement ce serait possible, mais ce n’est pas possible." Interview de Jacques F. Poos: les trois lieux de travail du Parlement européen (Sanem, 16 avril 2004)
In 2004 he retired from political life, but he remains active as non-executive director in the boards of different national and international institutions and companies.
Dr. Jacques F. Poos is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Founded in 1999 by Mark Donfried, its activities focus on promoting and developing the field of cultural diplomacy by conducting research, initiatives and programs, holding...
.