Words of Honour in memoriam Horst Günter Krenzler (1933–2012)

Abstract

History of mankind is made by men and women. The history of European integration is made by great Europeans. Horst Günter Krenzler was amongst them. Let me explain why I think so. From 2010 to 2014, I assumed the political responsibility for European Trade Policy. Becoming the head of a big administration was not new to me, as I previously headed the Belgian Foreign Office. But being at the helm of a big policy Directorate-General of the European Commission is different. I immediately noticed the high quality of expertise required in-house. From the case-handler to the Director-General: everybody should not only know his file by heart—he or she should also be able to convince Member States, the European Parliament and the public. In short: working in DG Trade is only possible with a great degree of knowledge, expertise and communication skills. Such a culture cannot be created from scratch. It is growing over time. It must have been nurtured in-house. And here is where we come to Horst Günter Krenzler. When he served as Director-General in the Commission for 12 years since 1984, he was not only doing trade—during his time, he was in charge of the entire external policy of the Commission. That was probably an even more demanding job than today’s double-hatted High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice President of the Commission for external action.