Quick Facts
Biography
Kris Peeters (Dutch: [peːtərs]; born 18 May 1962) is a Belgian politician and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party. Peeters was Minister-President of Flanders from 2007 until 2014 and is now Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Employment in the Michel Government.
Career
After attending secondary school in Boom, Peeters studied law in Antwerp and obtained a law degree in 1986.
Peeters served from 1991 to 1994 as Director of the NCMV research department. In 1994 he became Secretary-General of NCMV and when NCMV was reformed into the SME interest group UNIZO in 1999, he became its first managing director. In 2004, although not having been a candidate for public office at the 2004 regional elections, Peeters was asked to become a member of the Flemish Government. He resigned his position with UNIZO and became Flemish Minister for Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature.
During the 2006 municipal elections, Peeters ran for public office the first time in his career and was elected a member of the city council of his home town Puurs. In the 2007 Belgian federal elections, Peeters was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives but chose not to take his seat, instead he succeeded Yves Leterme as Minister-President of Flanders, as Leterme headed the CD&V coalition talks for a new Belgian government. Peeters also gave up his former competences to Hilde Crevits and took on the responsibilities for Institutional Affairs, Agriculture and Sea Fisheries, formerly belonging to Leterme, while keeping his own competence regarding Ports. He has been serving a second term as head of the Flemish government since the regional elections of 7 June 2009, with the additional competences of Institutional Affairs, Economy, Agriculture and Sea Fisheries.
During the 2014 Belgian government formation he was co-formateur along with Charles Michel (MR). Peeters was poised to become the new Prime Minister of Belgium. However, upon nominating Marianne Thyssen (also CD&V) as European Commissioner, his party already held a major political office. Consequently Charles Michel became Prime Minister, and Kris Peeters became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs in the Michel Government.
Besides Bart De Wever, Peeters is one of the two most popular political figures in Flanders in recent years.