Charles Picqué

Charles Picqué
Speaker of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
Assumed office
10 June 2014
Preceded by Éric Tomas
Minister-President of Brussels
In office
19 July 2004 – 7 May 2013
Preceded by Jacques Simonet
Succeeded by Rudi Vervoort
In office
12 July 1989 – 15 July 1999
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Jacques Simonet
Personal details
Born (1948-11-01) 1 November 1948
Etterbeek, Belgium
Political party Socialist Party
Alma mater Catholic University of Louvain
Website Official website

Charles Picqué (born 1 November 1948) is a Belgian politician. He is a former Minister-President of the Brussels Capital-Region.[1]

After obtaining a master's degree in economics at the Institut d'administration et de gestion at the Louvain School of Management (University of Louvain), he made his first steps in politics in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles, where he has been mayor since 1985.

Deeply concerned by urban issues in general and Brussels urban issues in particular, he has devoted a large part of his political activity to promoting and defending Brussels' role and rights as a full region – at par with the two other regions of Belgium – within the institutional framework of the Belgian state.

When the government of the Brussels-Capital Region was established in 1989, he became his first Minister-President with two mandates that lasted until 1999. In July 2004, he was reappointed to the same position.

In 1999, he was appointed Special Rapporteur for the Federal Government on Policies in support of Major Cities. During his mandate as Minister of the Economy and Scientific Research – from 2000 to 2003 – he maintained this responsibility, and played a key role in introducing measures to support Belgium's large cities in coping with the specific problems typical of major urban agglomerations.

During his leadership of the Brussels-Capital Region, he has pushed strongly for urban regeneration and social cohesiveness, with a strong emphasis on the areas of the Brussels Region which face the most serious problems.

In 2007, he launched another important project, an International Development Plan for Brussels, or IDP. The initiative involves the complete renewal of ten major sites within the city, and aims to strengthen the role of Brussels as the capital of Europe and as a major European city with a strong international vocation.

In the current negotiations on institutional reform, his main priority is to defend Brussels' status as a full region, to emphasize the fundamental importance of the Brussels economy for Belgium and for the other two regions, and to promote its natural role – as Belgium's only bilingual Region – in improving ties and cohesion between the country's French and Dutch-speaking communities.

Picqué stepped down as Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region on 7 May 2013, and was replaced by Rudi Vervoort.[2]

Political career

References

  1. ↑ King, Tim (5 March 2009). "New design unveiled for Brussels's Euroquarter". European Voice. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  2. ↑ "Rudi Vervoort to become Brussels Prime Minister". FlandersNews.be. 2013-01-17. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
Political offices
New office Minister-President of Brussels
1989–1999 		Succeeded by
Jacques Simonet
Preceded by
Jacques Simonet		 Minister-President of Brussels
2004–2013 		Succeeded by
Rudi Vervoort
Preceded by
Éric Tomas		 Speaker of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
2014–present 		Incumbent
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