Education
Utrecht University.
jurist politician university professor member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands member of the Senate of the Netherlands
Utrecht University.
In 1967 he was first elected to the House of Representatives for the Katholieke Volkspartij (KVP). From 1971 to 1977 he was leader of the KVP. For the CDA, he served as Minister of Finance (1977–1980) and European Commissioner for Competition (1981-1985), Agriculture (1985-1989), and External Relations and Trade (1989–1993). He is one of few politicians to serve three consecutive terms as an EU Commissioner.
Christian Democratic Appeal, Catholic People's Party.