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Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born April 3, 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 (West Germany between 1982 and 1990) and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973-1998. His 16-year tenure was the longest of any German chancellor since Otto von Bismarck. During his time in office the German Reunification took place and the Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union, was signed.