Bert Jozef Herman Vic Anciaux (born 11 September 1959) is a Belgian politician and Vooruit faction leader in the Belgian Senate. He was one of the founders of Spirit (later known as the Flemish Progressives, then the Social Liberal Party, or SLP). Served as Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport in the Flemish Government from 2004 until 2009, he was also Minister for relations with the Brussels-Capital Region and the Brussels Parliament (Dutch: Minister voor Brusselse Aangelegenheden).

Bert Anciaux
Flemish Minister for Housing and Urban policy
In office
1999–2000
Preceded byLeo Peeters
Succeeded byJohan Sauwens
Flemish Minister for relations with Brussels
In office
1999–2002
Preceded byBrigitte Grouwels
Succeeded byGuy Vanhengel
In office
2004–2009
Preceded byAdelheid Byttebier [nl]
Succeeded byPascal Smet
Flemish Minister for Culture and Youth
In office
1999–2002
Preceded byLuc Martens [nl]
Succeeded byPaul Van Grembergen
In office
2004–2009
Preceded byPaul Van Grembergen
Succeeded byJoke Schauvliege
Flemish Minister for Sport
In office
2001–2002
Preceded byLuc Martens
Succeeded byGuy Vanhengel
In office
2004–2009
Preceded byMarino Keulen
Succeeded byPhilippe Muyters
Minister of Mobility and Economical Affairs
In office
2003–2004
Prime MinisterGuy Verhofstadt
Preceded byLaurette Onkelinx (Mobility)
Fientje Moerman (Economical Affairs)
Succeeded byRenaat Landuyt (Mobility)
Marc Verwilghen (Economical Affairs)
Personal details
Born (1959-09-11) 11 September 1959 (age 65)
Merksem, Belgium
Political partyVolksunie (until 2001)
Spirit (2001–2008)
Vooruit (since 2008)
Alma materFree University of Brussels, dutch

Political career

edit

Volksunie (1987–1998)

edit

Anciaux was born into a political family. His father Vic Anciaux was chairman of the Volksunie (VU), a nationalist party, from 1979 until 1985. Bert first held office as a councilman in the City of Brussels in 1987, and in 1991, became a member of the provincial council of Flemish Brabant. He became chairman of the Volksunie in 1992, serving until 1998. From 1995 to 1999, he sat in the Belgian Senate.

Volksunie-iD21 (1998–2001)

edit

Following the 1998 White Marches provoked by the publication of official reports on the Affaire Dutroux, Anciaux founded the think-tank, later political group, iD21 [nl], which aimed to confront the corruption and incompetence which the Dutroux affair had brought to light. In the 1999 Belgian general election, the combined Volksunie-iD21 list gained 8% of the vote, up from around 5% in 1995. Anciaux was elected to the European Parliament.

Spirit / Flemish Progressives (2001–2009)

edit

With the collapse of the Volksunie in 2001, split between left and right factions led by Anciaux and Geert Bourgeois which became Spirit and New-Flemish Alliance (NV-A) respectively. A number of iD21 members joined Agalev, the Flemish green party, rather than Spirit.

In 2002, Anciaux stepped down as Minister for Culture in the Flemish government. Following the 2003 Federal election, where Anciaux and Spirit ran in a cartel with Socialist Party Different (SP.a), he was appointed Federal transport minister. In July 2004, he resigned this post and returned to his present position as Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport in Flanders.

Vooruit (2009–present)

edit

In 2008, he left his party and has expressed the desire to launch a new "Social Project". He then joined the Flemish social-democratic party Vooruit, then called Sp.a. In 2010, he was elected to the Belgian Senate and took over the position of faction leader of Vooruit in 2012, when Marleen Temmerman resigned from politics.

Honours

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Belgian Senate, Biography
edit

  Media related to Bert Anciaux at Wikimedia Commons