Charles Picqué

Charles Picqué
Minister-President of Brussels
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 July 2004
Preceded by Jacques Simonet
In office
12 July 1989 – 15 July 1999
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Jacques Simonet
Personal details
Born 1 November 1948 (1948-11-01) (age 63)
Etterbeek, Belgium
Political party Socialist Party
Alma mater Catholic University of Leuven
Website Official website

Charles Picqué (born 1 November 1948, Etterbeek) is a Belgian, French-speaking politician. He is currently serving his second term as 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, which he still holds today.

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.

Political career

References

External links

Political offices
New office Minister-President of Brussels
1989–1999
Succeeded by
Jacques Simonet
Preceded by
Jacques Simonet
Minister-President of Brussels
2004–present
Incumbent