Yves Leterme

Biography

A few words about Yves

Yves Leterme is a child of Westhoek – the Western part of Flanders right at the French border. He was born in Wervik (6 October 1960) and spent his childhood in Zillebeke – in the ‘Flanders fields’, a few hundred meters away from Hill 60 and other reminders of WWI. He went to school in Ypres, where he’s living today with his wife Sofie Haesen and their three children Matthias, Thomas and Julie. In terms of his family background, Yves Leterme is as Belgian as one can be: his father is French-speaking Walloon and his mother a Dutch-speaking Flemish.

Yves Leterme read political sciences and law at the Kortrijk Campus of the University of Leuven and at the University of Ghent. His choice of the fields of study was inspired on the one hand by his passion for politics and on the other hand by the parental advice. It’s then that he caught the political virus: in Ypres he vigorously protested against the local youth policy. Subsequently the Christian-democratic party invited him to join their forces, and in 1983 he became the chairman of the Ypres CVP-Youth.

Two years later Yves Leterme became an assistant to the parliamentarian Paul Breyne and the CVP-secretary for the Ypres district. Subsequently he worked at the cabinet of the regional minister Paul Deprez. In 1987 Leterme joined the Belgian Court of Auditors, where he worked for two years. In the meanwhile he remained actively involved with the CVP-Youth (in the national office and as national vice-chairman), and with the CVP of Ypres, where he became chairman in 1988. In 1989 he worked at the national CVP secretariat in Brussels, first as national vice-secretary and in 1991 as national secretary.

In 1992 Yves Leterme became an administrator at the European Union. He worked at the European Commission for five years. Later, as Minister-President of Flanders, he remained closely connected with European affairs, inter alia by participating regularly in the meetings of the Agriculture Council. At the same time he remained politically active in Ypres, where he became municipal councilor in 1995 and parliamentarian in 1997. In 2001 he became CD&V fraction leader in the Chamber (House of Commons) and in 2003 he became the party chairman.

In 2004 Yves Leterme became Minister-President of the Flemish government. Flanders has faired well during his term in office. Yves Leterme took a pragmatic course onto increasing the economic dynamic and social wellbeing in Flanders. He has made the Flemish government into the ‘investment government’, focusing the investments on the infrastructure and logistics with respect to both the business climate and social wellbeing (notably Flanders Port Area, homes for the elderly, child care, immigrant integration). In order to accelerate investment he has successfully encouraged the use of the PPP structures. Additionally, Yves Leterme’s government implemented rigorous budgeting – his government started with a sizeable implicit debt in Flanders which has been reduced to zero as the result of his policies.

In the elections of 10 June 2007 Yves Leterme received 796.521 personal votes, leading his party to a landslide victory. This was the second highest amount of personal votes ever in Belgium’s national elections. On 21 December 2007 he became Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Budget, Transport, Institutional Reform and the North Sea. On 23rd March got Yves Leterme as Prime minister confidence of the chamber. In December 2008 Yves Leterme became senator. On July 17th 2009 he swore the oath as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

EDUCATION

• Humanities Latin-Greek (Sint-Vincentius College Ypres – 1973-1979)
• Bachelor of Science in law (Kulak – 1981)
• Bachelor of Science in political sciences (RUG – 1983)
• Master of Science in law (RUG – 1984)
• Master of Science in public administration (RUG – 1985)
• Diploma from the Centre for International Federalism Studies (Nice – 1984)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Assistant to the parliamentarian Paul Breyne (1985)
• CVP Secretary, Ypres district (1985-1987)
• Advisor at the cabinet of the regional Minister Paul Deprez (1986)
• Deputy Auditor at the Belgian Court of Auditors (January 1987 – January 1989)
• Deputy Secretary of the CVP (February 1989 – January 1992)
• Secretary of the CVP (February 1991 – December 1992)
• Administrator at the European Union – European Commission (December 1992–May 1997)
• MP, CVP, since June 1997 (successor of P. Breyne)
• Elected MP, CVP, 13 June 1999
• Flemish MP, CD&V, elected 13 June 2004
• Minister-President, Flemish government (July 2004 – June 2007)
• Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Budget, Transport, Institutional Reform and the North Sea (December 2007 - present)

POLITICS

• President, CVP Youth, section Ypres (1983-1986)
• District Secretary, CVP, Ypres district (1985-1987)
• National Officer, CVP Youth (1986-1988)
• National Vice-chairman, CVP Youth (1988-1989)
• District chairman, CVP, Ypres district (1988-1991)
• Municipal Councilor, municipality of Ypres (January 1995 – January 2001)
• Member of the Community Council, municipality of Ypres (February 2001 – present)
• MP, CVP, since June 1997 (successor of P. Breyne)
• Elected MP, CVP, 13 June 1999
• Chairman, CD&V political fraction in the Chamber (January 2001 – May 2003)
• Elected MP, CD&V (May 2003 – July 2004)
• Chairman CD&V (June 2003 – July 2004)
• Flemish MP, CD&V, elected 13 June 2004
• Formateur in order to form a new Flemish government
• Minister-President, Flemish government (July 2004 – June 2007)
• Senator ( june 28 - december 2007)
• Formateur in order to form a new federal government (15 july 2007 till 24 august 2007) and (29 september 2007 till 1 december 2007)
• Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Budget, Institutional Reform, and Transport and the Nordsee (12 december 2007 till 19 march 2008)
• Prime Minister (20 march till december 2008)
• Senator (december 2008 till 16 july 2009)
• Minister of Foreign Affairs ( 17 july 2009 till 25 november 2009)
• Prime Minister (25 november  2009 - ...)