
Guy Verhofstadt
- Author •
- Politician
Guy Verhofstadt is the leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the centrist-liberal grouping in the European parliament. He is also the former prime minister of Belgium and has been charged with leading the EU’s negotiating team on the UK’s departure from the Union.
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Guy Verhofstadt's 2025 biography
Guy Verhofstadt’s Background
After studying law, Guy became a member of the Ghent City Council and quickly rose within the ranks of Belgium’s VLD party. He became an MP and then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Budget whilst still in his 30s. After loosing power, Guy took control of the party and reinvented it, making more attractive to representatives of other parties. After taking time away from Politics, Guy returned as president of the VLD winning the general election and becoming the first liberal PM in over 60 years. Guy retained the office for eight years before becoming a Senator and then an MEP.
Guy argues for reform to the EU so that it focuses much more on the key problems facing both Europe and the world – the economic crisis, crime, the disparity between rich and poor and other key political issues. He also supports greater integration within the EU, building a stronger commercial and trading bloc, with a single currency, treasury and economic policy, creating more jobs and competing with the US and the emerging Asian economies. He examines the mistakes of the past, the likely outcomes for The Future and why Europe can be a superpower if it escapes its history and embraces revolution.
A regular voice in media across Europe, Guy is also the author of a number of books on Europe including The United States of Europe, The New Age of Empires and Emerging from the Crisis: How Europe can Save the World.
Guy Verhofstadt's 2025 talks & topics
Economic Overview
EU foreign policy, in particular the Arab Spring and the relations between the EU, Russia and Ukraine
European Politics
Belgium: economic and political aspects
Europe, in particular monetary, economic and constitutional issues
– the currency union, the financial crisis, the Greek crisis, the energy union, digital union, financial markets, …
– the future of the European project and the European constitution
The Political Landscape
The Future of EUROPE: How does it look like in 10 years?
The challenges of globalization and the multipolar world