Henning Christophersen (8 November 1939 – 31 December 2016) was a
Danish politician, who served as Vice President of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
(1985–1995), leader of the Danish
liberal party ''
Venstre'' (1978–1984) and a member of the
European Convention. Christophersen was one of the early architects of the Single Market and the Euro.
Life
Christophersen was born in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. He was Deputy Prime minister and
Finance Minister of Denmark
This is a list of Finance Minister of Denmark, finance ministers of Denmark since Denmark's first unified finance ministry was established in 1848.
List of finance ministers (1848–present) Ministers under Frederick VII (1848–1863)
M ...
(1982–1984) and
Foreign Minister of Denmark
The Minister for Foreign Affairs (, , ) is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The officeholder is in charge of Danish (Denmark proper, the Faroe Islands and Greenland) foreign policy and ...
(1978–1979).
During his time as Vice President of the European Commission for Budget and later for Economic & Financial Affairs, Christophersen decisively contributed to the preparations of the launch of the Euro and of the Economic & Monetary Union. Through his pioneering work on Transeuropean Networks, he also played a big role in the realization of the Internal Market.
In 1992, as EU commissioner, Christophersen together with 10 Baltic Ministers of Foreign Affairs founded the
Council of the Baltic Sea States
The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is a regional intergovernmental organisation working on three priority areas: regional identity; regional safety and security; regional sustainability and prosperity.
These three priority areas aim ...
(CBSS) and the
EuroFaculty.
He was the Chairman of the
Energy Charter Conference 1998 until 2007.
He was Chairman and member of a number of Supervisory Boards of Directors, and a Partner of
Kreab, Brussels.
Christophersen died on 31 December 2016 in Brussels at the age of 77 after a short illness.
References
Sources
* Tom Matz (2004), ''Venstre ved du hvor du har '' ForlagsKompagniet : Nørhaven Book.
1939 births
2016 deaths
Ministers for finance of Denmark
Ministers of foreign affairs of Denmark
Danish European commissioners
Members of the Folketing
Politicians from Copenhagen
European commissioners (1985–1988)
Leaders of Venstre (Denmark)
20th-century Danish politicians
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