The European Parliament’s Chief Brexit Negotiator in Brussels, Former Belgian Prime Minister, and exponent of greater Data Protection regulation
Belgium
Chief Brexit negotiator for the EU, Guy Verhofstadt believes in a federal union as Europe’s solution to compete with the large economies of the US and Asia. A federal solution, he argues, needs a unified front regarding political strategy, government, and a parliament that is endowed with full powers in order to compete on a global scale.
Politician, author, thinker, and negotiator, Belgian politician Guy Verhofstadt has made a mark on European history. The leader of the Alliance and Democrats for Europe Group and Belgian Member of the European Parliament has filled a number of political positions in his home country. Amongst these are included:
Guy has, since 2009, served as a Member of the European Parliament as leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). He is also the founder of the inter-parliamentarian federalist Spinelli Group and was the ALDE presidential nominee of the European Commission during the 2014 European Parliament election.
The European Parliament nominated Guy as their lead Brexit negotiator in 2016.
Guy Verhofstadt has received many accolades throughout the course of his political career. Amongst these he counts:
Someone who is regularly in the media, Guy Verhofstadt is also the author of a number of books on European politics, including The United States of Europe, A New Age of Empires, and Europe’s Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union.
The lawyer-turned-politician took to politics from an early age, becoming a member of Ghent City Council and climbing the ranks to become a member of parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for the Economy while still in his thirties.
Guy wishes to inspire changes within the EU, focusing on crime, economics, and certain political key issues. He is a supporter of further integration in order to allow the European Union to become economically stronger by means of a single economic policy, treasury, and currency in order to create more jobs while being able to compete with the US and Asian economies.
“The Brexit discussion is a good opportunity not only to discuss and negotiate a new agreement, a new partnership with Britain but also to fix that now it is time to have a real government in Europe” – Guy Verhofstadt
Guy’s topics focus on Europe and European politics, touching on different aspects while taking note of past mistakes in order to allow Europe to become a superpower. He can discuss the ongoing need for Europe to reduce regulatory controls on corporate mergers to enable Europe to create more globally recognized companies and compete against the US, China, and India.
He is also well versed on the need for increased regulation of the use of personal data by companies such as Facebook. In doing so protect the public from consumer exploitation by these companies who pass on this data for financial gain and influence voting outcomes. This is highly topical following the highly publicized Cambridge Analytica case and the use of fake news in the US Presidential elections.
"Both speakers were highly rated by our audience. Guy was passioned speaker which really engaged the audience. He was speaking from the heart and deep personal beliefs which is always compelling." Pascale Van Den Driessche, CEO Toyota Materia Handling
"The Brexit discussion is a good opportunity not only to discuss and negotiate a new agreement, a new partnership with Britain but also to fix that now it is time to have a real government in Europe”
“Ultimately, he remains hopeful for a truly united continent that can protect its citizens, remain a valuable American ally, and face future challenges. Impassioned and logically sound, this clearly presented treatise presents an appealing way forward from a troubled present.”