Louis Michel Louis Michel, a Belgian national, is the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, a position he has held since 22 November 2004. The European Commission was created to defend the European interest in initiating legislation, implementing common policies (like the common agricultural policy) and representing the Union in the wider world; it administers the budget and manages the Union's programmes. Prior to taking up his post in the Commission, Mr Michel was a senior figure in the Belgian government, where, from 1999 to 2004, he held the positions of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Institutional Reform and Deputy Prime Minister. Under Mr Michel's leadership, the Commission has recently agreed to assign Africa a political priority and to formulate a common European response. In particular, there is an emphasis on the role that trade can play as a driver of growth for Africa's development. The EU "Everything But Arms" scheme fully opens the EU market to least developed countries. Mr Michel, who began his career as a teacher, is also a guest professor at the University of Liège.