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Biography of H.E. Guy Verhofstadt,
Recipient of the Vision for Europe Award 2002

Mr Verhofstadt experienced his first political endeavours while at the University of Gand in Belgium from 1971 through 1975, when he became active in the Liberale Vlaamse Studentenvereniging LVSV (Association of Liberal Flemish Students). His first involvement with a national political party was in 1979, when he was eventually elected President of the PVV-Jongeren (the youth section of the PVV). These first experiences during his youth lead to his election as the President of the PVV in January 1982, when he received an impressive 85% of the votes. At the age of 29, this made Mr Verhofstadt the youngest political party president in the country. Then he continued his political career by serving as the Vice Premier Minister and Minister of Budget from 1985 until 1988.

As a 'politician for the people', Mr Verhofstadt wrote his first 'People's manifest' in 1989, and then established the Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten VLD - De partij van de burger (the Liberal and the Democratic Flemmish Party - the party for the citizens) in 1992. A key move in his political career then came in 1996 when he actively participated on the Rwanda Commission, a division of the Foreign Affairs Commission. His participation in the impressive success of the Commission's achievements was recognised by all parties and in 1997 Mr Verhofstadt was reelected as the president of the VLD, putting him in an ideal position for the upcoming Prime Minister elections. When Mr Verhofstadt won the election the summer of 1997, the Liberal party in Belgium had a Prime Minister within their ranks for the first time in 61 years.

H.E. Verhofstadt has born on 11 April 1953 in Termonde, Belgium. He is married with two children.

 
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