Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe (born 28 April 1944 in Charleroi), nicknamed "Van Cau", is a Belgian politician. He is member of the Parti Socialiste (Socialist Party; PS). He was the tenth Minister-President of Wallonia from 4 April 2000 until 30 September 2005. He resigned amid the ICDI affair and was replaced by Elio Di Rupo. He also served as mayor of Charleroi (1983-2000).
Charles Picqué (born 1 November 1948) is a Belgian politician. He is a former Minister-President of the Brussels Capital-Region.After obtaining a master's degree in economics at the Institut d'administration et de gestion at the Louvain School of Management (University of Louvain), he made his first steps in politics in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles, where he has been mayor since 1985.
Deeply concerned by urban issues in general and Brussels urban issues in particular, he has devoted a large part of his political activity to promoting and defending Brussels' role and rights as a full region – at par with the two other regions of Belgium – within the institutional framework of the Belgian state.
When the government of the Brussels-Capital Region was established in 1989, he became his first Minister-President with two mandates that lasted until 1999. In July 2004, he was reappointed to the same position.
In 1999, he was appointed Special Rapporteur for the Federal Government on Policies in support of Major Cities. During his mandate as Minister of the Economy and Scientific Research – from 2000 to 2003 – he maintained this responsibility, and played a key role in introducing measures to support Belgium's large cities in coping with the specific problems typical of major urban agglomerations.
During his leadership of the Brussels-Capital Region, he has pushed strongly for urban regeneration and social cohesiveness, with a strong emphasis on the areas of the Brussels Region which face the most serious problems.
In 2007, he launched another important project, an International Development Plan for Brussels, or IDP. The initiative involves the complete renewal of ten major sites within the city, and aims to strengthen the role of Brussels as the capital of Europe and as a major European city with a strong international vocation.
In the current negotiations on institutional reform, his main priority is to defend Brussels' status as a full region, to emphasize the fundamental importance of the Brussels economy for Belgium and for the other two regions, and to promote its natural role – as Belgium's only bilingual Region – in improving ties and cohesion between the country's French and Dutch-speaking communities.
Picqué stepped down as Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region on 7 May 2013, and was replaced by Rudi Vervoort.
Michel Daerden (16 November 1949 – 5 August 2012) was a francophone Belgian politician, a member of the Parti Socialiste, and a finance auditor.
Daerden was born in Baudour, Belgium. With a reputation as a 'bon vivant', his undenied penchant for a drink (especially Pomerol) led him to be nicknamed "the Gainsbourg of Belgian Politics" both by himself in a famous TV interview and by Belgium's much respected weekly news magazine Le Vif/L'Express.
Guy Coëme (born 21 August 1946) is a Francophone Belgian politician for the Socialist Party (PS).He served as 5th Minister-President of Wallonia from February to May 1988.
Coëme served as minister of defence in the government Martens VIII and IX. In the first cabinet Dehaene, he was promoted to deputy prime minister and served as minister of transport. In 1993, he came under pressure due to the Agusta scandal investigation, which led to his resignation in 1994. He was later rehabilitated, and he currently serves as mayor of Waremme. He is a member of the European Parliament elected in the lists of the Socialist Group and is a member of the 'Commission for Culture, Science and Education', of the 'Subcommittee for Energy' and 'Subcommittee for Cultural Heritage'.