EIN SUMMER UNIVERSITY BUCHAREST - European Ideas Network

Yves LETERME
European Ideas Network
Va d e m e c u m o f t h e s p e a k e r s
Yves Leterme was born on the 6 of October, 1960 in the city of Wervik in the province of West
Flanders. He is a Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party
(CD&V), and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium. He studied law at the Catholic University of
Leuven where he received a LL.B. degree in 1981. He then studied at Ghent University where he
subsequently obtained a B.Sc. degree in Political Science (1983), a LL.M. degree (1984), and a
MPA degree in 1985.
Yves Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008. He has formerly
been Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget, Institutional Reforms,
Transport and the North Sea in the Belgian federal government. He is also a former Minister-President
of Flanders and Flemish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. On 19 December 2008 he offered his
resignation to King Albert II, who accepted his resignation. Leterme remained Prime Minister until 30 December, when Herman Van
Rompuy was appointed as his successor. On 24 November 2009, it was announced that Leterme would once again become Prime
Minister, succeeding Van Rompuy, who had been selected to become the President of the European Council. On 22 April 2010 he once
again offered his resignation to King Albert II.
Before entering national politics, Leterme served as an auditor at the country’s Court of Audit. He then became adjunct
and then national secretary of the CVP until he resigned to become a civil servant with the European Union. In 1997 he
went on indefinite leave from that position when he was appointed Member of the Belgian Parliament. He has been a
member of the city council of Ypres since 1995. He served as alderman of Ypres from 1995 to 2001. He was appointed to
the House of Representatives in 1997, elected in 1999 and 2003. After the defeat of the CD&V in the general elections of
2003, he succeeded Stefaan De Clerck as party chairman. In 2004 Yves Leterme became Minister-President of the Flemish
government. In the elections held on 10 June 2007, Leterme won. On 21 December 2007, he became Vice-Prime Minister
of Belgium and Minister of Budget, Transport, Institutional Reform and the North Sea. On 23 March, Leterme received
confidence of the chamber as Prime Minister.
Marc MAC GANN
Mark MacGann is Senior Vice President, Head of European Government Affairs and Public
Advocacy at NYSE Euronext. Prior to that, he was CEO Brussels and Head of Public Affairs,
Europe at Weber Shandwick and a member of the Global management team. He was formerly
Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, the trade association representing the Information and
Communications Technology and Consumer Electronics industries in Europe.
Mark joined DIGITALEUROPE from Brunswick Group, where he was Senior Associate Partner
responsible for the TMT (telecom, media and technology) practice in Europe. During his time
at this leading global communications advisory firm, he advised corporations on cross-border
technology and media mergers and acquisitions in Europe and the USA.
Mark holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in political science and economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques, France
and Kingston University, England. He is Chairman of the Management Committee of the Federation of European Stock
Exchanges (FESE), a member of the Management Board of the European Information and Network Agency (ENISA), and
of the French Government’s Advisory Group on the future of the telecoms sector in France and Europe.
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