Brussels - Karel Van Miert, a Belgian socialist who spent 10 years as a European Union commissioner, has died at the age of 67 as a result of a domestic accident, Belgian media reported Tuesday.

According to the Belga news agency, the Flemish politician passed away overnight after apparently falling off a ladder in his garden.

Born on January 17, 1942, van Miert was first appointed EU commissioner for transport and consumer policy in 1989. In 1993 he switched to the competition portfolio, a post that he kept until 1999.

In a tribute, current European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso described him as an inspiration for committed Europeans.

"He always stressed the social function of the internal market, applying competition rules so as to protect the weakest from the possible abuses of the strongest, and the need for a common market that ensures fairness for all," Barroso said in a statement.

During his long political career, van Miert also co-chaired the Belgian Socialist Party and acted as minister of state in the Belgian government. (dpa)