Günter Verheugen

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Günter Verheugen (born 28 April 1944 in Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry. He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 25-member Barroso Commission. Image:Günter Verheugen.jpg

Günter Verheugen was previously Commissioner for Enlargement in the Prodi Commission, presiding over the accession of ten new member states in 2004.

Verheugen studied history, sociology and political science at the University of Cologne and at the University of Bonn. He was secretary general of the FDP (liberals) from 1978 to 1982. He left the FDP with many left-liberal party members in 1982, because the FDP left the government of the federal chancellor Helmut Schmidt. In the same year he joined the SPD (social democrats).

In 1983 he became member of the federal parliament. He was member of the committee on foreign relations from 1983 to 1998. From 1994 to 1997 he was deputy chairman of the parliamentary group of the SPD. He served as minister of state in the department of foreign affairs from 1998 to 1999. In 1999 he left parliament and became EU commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union.

On November 5 2004, during a press conference, Verheugen mentioned that the future prime-minister of Romania would be Mircea Geoană (of PSD) and that Romania would end negotiations with the EU with just four days before the Romanian legislative and presidential elections. Following this, Romanian journalists accused him of interfering with Romanian politics.

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