Guy Verhofstadt

Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt listen? / I ( born April 11, 1953 in Dendermonde ) is a Belgian politician ( Open VLD). He is a member of the European Parliament, where he heads the liberal ALDE group since 2009. Previously, he served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008.

Life

Training

In 1970 he graduated from the High School in Latin Greek at the Royal Athenaeum in Ghent. The licentiate in law, he reached in 1975 at the State University of Ghent. In the following years he worked as a lawyer at the Ghent Bar Association.

Political activities

First political experience he gained as Chairman of the Flemish Association of liberal students of Ghent, where he was from 1972 until 1974. From 1976 he was a member of the municipal council of the city of Ghent and in 1977, he eventually became political secretary of the PVV - chairman Willy De Clercq. In the following years, he held several posts, he was first deputy of the Chamber of Deputies Ghent - Eeklo (1978) and Vice President of the PVV Association in the same region (1979). Also in 1979, he took over the national chairmanship of the Jung- PVV and was a board member of the PVV. Chairman of the PVV he was in 1982 and in 1985 he succeeded to the collection in the Chamber of Deputies.

From 1988 he was chairman of the Shadow Cabinet. He was re- elected chairman of the PVV in 1989 and 1992, he received the same post in the VLD. After 1995 he was ascended to the Minister of State, he was elected in May of the same year Senator and now Vice- President of the Senate. On 7 June 1997, he again took over the presidency of the VLD.

Government functions

From 1985 to 1988, Deputy Prime Minister Verhofstadt and Minister for the Budget planning and scientific research. From 12 July 1999 to 20 March 2008 he was Prime Minister of Belgium.

The lawyer took place since the mid- 1970s, a rising career at the Belgian Liberals. In light of the recent political and judicial scandals of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt from mid-1999 from the Prime Minister of the country was involved in a radical transformation of the system. Verhofstadt drove his so-called purple -green coalition, consisting of the two liberal, the two socialist and the two green parties against the black opposition steadily. As prime minister, he was confirmed in spring 2003 for a second term, this time in a purely " purple " coalition with liberals and socialists.

In the Belgian parliamentary elections of 10 June 2007, the government coalition lost significantly seats, whereupon Verhofstadt tendered his resignation.

Since Yves Leterme, top candidate of the Christian Democratic CD & V, had given up his efforts to form a government after six months, Verhofstadt was commissioned on December 3 by King Albert II to find a solution of the political crisis in discussions with all parties. As of December 21, 2007, Verhofstadt, a transitional government of Flemish and Francophone Christian Democrats and Liberals, as well as the Francophone socialists who remained until the appointment of a new government under Leterme until 20 March 2008 at the office.

European Parliament

In the European elections in 2009 Verhofstadt was elected to the European Parliament. A few days after the election he came as a possible candidate for the post of Commission President this week. Once before the elections, the Party of European Socialists (PES ) had nominated no rival candidate for the conservative incumbent, José Manuel Barroso, group president Martin Schulz announced after the election, to support a possible candidacy Verhofstadt. Also from the European Green Party and the liberal European Parliament ALDE group support was expressed. Verhofstadt himself initially did not elaborate. On 30 June 2009, he was elected to succeed Graham Watson Chairman of the ALDE Group.

Since 2010, Verhofstadt is a leading member of the Spinelli Group, which campaigns for the European federalism.

In the period 2009-2012 Verhofstadt is a member of the Conference of Presidents and the Committee on Constitutional Affairs.

Publications (selection )

• De Politieke Vernieuwing away naar het tweede burger manifest. Baarn, Antwerp 1992, ISBN 90-5240-187- X.
• Fear afgunst, en het algemeen belang. Hadewijch, Antwerp 1994, ISBN 90-5240-299- X.
• De Belgian ziekte: diagnose en remedies. Hadewijch, Antwerp 1997, ISBN 90-5240-428-3.
• De vierde golf: een liberaal project voor de nieuwe eeuw. Houtekiet, Antwerp 2002, ISBN 90-5240-692-8.
• Daniel Cohn -Bendit: For Europe. A Manifesto, translated by Philipp Blom. Hanser Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-446-24187-9.