Rik Daems, President of the Assembly

Biography

Political experience

Since 2019:

co-opted Senator
ALDE Group leader at PACE

2014-2019:

Member of the Flemish Parliament, delegated to the Belgian Senate

Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairperson of the Committee on Alternative Financing of Public Investment

Member of the Belgian delegation to PACE, appointed Chairperson of the delegation in 2015

Designated as leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) at PACE in 2017

2010-2014:

Senator
Speaker (briefly in 2010)
Senate Group’s leader Open Vld (ALDE)

2007-2010:

Member of the Belgian delegation to PACE
Member of the Western European Union (WEU)

1987-2010:

Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives

Majority leader (2003-2006)
Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee (2006-2007)
Quaestor (2007-2010)

1999-2003:

Belgian Minister of Telecommunications, Public Enterprises and Public Holdings, responsible for all State-owned companies and assets (portfolio enlarged with SME policy between 2001 and 2003); member of the ‘Core Government’ (with a status equivalent to Vice-Prime Minister)

2000:

Chairperson of the European Council of Ministers for Telecommunication

1989-1995:

Mayor of the City of Aarschot

Professional experience

2003-2019:

Senior Adviser for Foreign Investment Funds at the Federal Participation and Investment Company
Vice-Chairperson of the Board and President of the Investment Supervisory Committee of the China-Belgium Investment Fund
Consultant in international business development
Professional winemaker
Contemporary artist-painter

1997-1999:

Vice-Chairperson of Dexia Holdings and Administrator of the Crédit Local de France

1985-1987:

Financial and economic adviser to the Belgian Minister of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

1983-1985:

UN associate expert at the Central American Institute for Public Administration, San José, Costa Rica
Teacher in financial mathematics and investment analysis at the ICAP Post-graduate Programme
On-site operational consultant to public companies in the Central American region

He was born on 18 August 1959 in Aarschot, Belgium, is married and has two children.