Max van der Stoel, a tireless defender of Greek democracy

Many have paid tribute to Max van der Stoel’s personality, life and achievements, and rightly so. One facet was not, or not sufficiently, referred to in the numerous obituaries: his leading role in Europe’s fight against the military dictatorship in Greece. It is in this context that I had the privilege of getting to know him and working with him. Back in the 1960s, Max van der Stoel was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He was appointed Rapporteur for what was to become the ‘Greek case’ of which I was in charge in the Secretariat of the Assembly.

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