guy verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a monument
in Belgian politics.
He made a name for himself as an impassioned party leader and served as the country’s prime minister for almost a decade. Since then, he has been fighting for a strong and united European Union.
As Belgium’s prime minister between 1999 and 2008, Guy Verhofstadt put in place major reforms in the areas of the economy as well as ethical issues. Since he was elected into the European Parliament in 2008, as the leader of the liberal group he has worked tirelessly for a decisive Europe, which assumes its rightful place in a world dominated by continents.
1979 – 1981
National leader Young PVV
1982 – 1982
National leader PVV (Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang or Party for Freedom and Progress)
1985 – 1988
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for the Budget and Scientific Research
1989 – 1992
National leader PVV
1992 – 1995
National leader VLD (Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or Flemish Liberals and Democrats, the follow-up name of the PVV as a party)
1997 – 1999
National leader VLD
1999 – 2008
Prime minister
2009 – 2009
Acting leader Open Vld (Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, follow-up name of the VLD as a party)
2009 – 2019
Group leader of the Liberals and Democrats at the European Parliament
2016 – 2020
Brexit co-ordinator for the EP and chairman of the Brexit steering committee
2020
Member of the European Parliament
Verhofstadt in the picture
Want to stay up to date? Experience the Europe of @guyverhofstadt.
Verhofstadt on instagram
European Parliament is united in saying: Our Iran policy is a failure !
More sanctions against the Iranian mullahs. Putting IRGC on terrorist list. Recognise the opposition and resistance as the rightful representatives of Iran.
Support the freedom loving people of Iran !
Support Ukraine
Defend Europe !
@european.movement reminding EU leaders of their huge responsibility before a crucial #EUCO
✊🏻🇪🇺
A simple question to Von der Leyen: will you again reward Orbán for his blackmail over Ukraine?
Guard the treaties. Use them creatively to bypass Orbán… and secure full support to Ukraine.
My intervention 👆🏻
Grateful to be elected president of the @europeanmovement_international… and ready to rumble !
Why? Because politics is a question of momentum more than anything. It needs organisations and people to drive the momentum forward.
For much of its illustrious past, the European Movement has been that organisation. It was there befóre the Council of Europe and the organisations that are now the European Union — from ’48 on. Which tells you an important lesson that today we often forget: ideas come before actions, and European unification is possible if —and only if— there is broad mobilisation of popular and public opinion before politics and institutions.
That has always has been the case, and today more than ever.
One of the very important take-aways from the Conference on the Future of Europe is that citizens are ahead of politicians in their thinking about Europe… and more impatient when it comes to results.
European values are under threat, the European spirit is actively being undermined, European policies are faltering or failing… and at the heart of all that is European politics itself falling short.
Time to push back !
The European Movement has a chance to energise people around the European ideal, especially in countries like the UK or Hungary where being ‘European’ is a tangible political and societal choice, or in the Balkans where the geopolitical need for Europe is clearest, and around issues like EU reform where the fate of European integration is really in the balance.
It’s an honour to get this mandate. It has been fifty years since a Belgian was last president of the European Movement —Jean Rey— and the second and probably best known president was no less than Paul- Henri Spaak. He said in ’48: ‘It is my solid conviction that Europe, if it does not organise itself, if it remains splintered along national lines, will fall into decay. I try to organise Europe, to make Europe, that is the ideal to which I strive with all my powers.’
Three quarters of a century on, I couldn’t have said it better: Time to get Europe moving again !
My take on the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East.
How to break the cycle of hatred and war ? As Europe did after WWII… enemies becoming partners…. guaranteeing that both Israeli’s and Palestinians can live in peace and security.
you might enjoy this Halloween costume in Shanghai #Repost @aiww
Hundreds of deaths at a music festival.
The bombing of Gaza hospital.
Murder on the streets of Arras and Brussels…
Europe must do something. Not words but action.
1. Full support to Israel in stopping Hamas + sanctions against the proxies, esp. Qatar and Iran. When will Josep Borrell finally accounce real sanctions policy against Iran?
2. Full humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. Hamas is not the Palestinian people. Half of the Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank do not support Hamas. They are victims of Hamas.
3. Impossible as it seems: we need to initiate a new peace process. Not between Hamas and Netanyahu, but between the peace-loving Palestinians and the democratic Israelis… the majority in both camps.
Every tragedy is at the same time an opportunity. An opportunity to establish peace where hatred and violence are rampant today.
That is what Europe itself has learnt in the past… and must now push for in the Middle East.
The only way to stop the smugglers is to open our consulates and embassies outside Europe to apply for asylum instead of obliging them to jump in boats and dying in the Mediterranean sea !
#migration @reneweurope
Proud to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award @europeanliberalforum. Liberal values and ideals are as important as when I started in politics way back. But they need politicians to shape and sell them to new generations. The work never stops !
#ELF #award
Can you imagine a Europe with 35 members without reshaping the commission and with the unanimity rule intact?
Totally unworkable!
If we open negotiations with candidate member states, we also need to open the debate on treaty reform 🇪🇺
#SOTEU2023 @reneweurope
