Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers (born 12 May 1964 in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He is currently the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and President of

the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Committee of the Regions Renew Europe is a political group in the European Committee of the Regions bringing together liberal and democrat city mayors, regional presidents and ministers, and local and regional councillors to contribute to the European Union's legislative pr ...

. In 2017 Bart Somers was awarded 2016

World Mayor World Mayor is a biennial award organized by the City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of c ...

Prize as recognition for his outstanding achievements in welcoming refugees during recent years and for the long-term integration of immigrants from different cultures, religions and social backgrounds. He obtained a law degree from the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

Political career

Between 2003 and 2004 he was the

Minister-President of Flanders The Minister-President of Flanders ( nl, Minister-president van Vlaanderen) is the head of the Flemish Government, which is the executive branch of the Flemish Region and Flemish Community.See the communities, regions and language areas of Belgiu ...

. After the regional elections of June 2004 he was appointed the interim chairman of the

Flemish Liberals and Democrats french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts , abbreviation = Open Vld , logo = , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Egbert Lachaert , foundation = 1992 (VLD)2007 (Open Vld) , predecessor = P ...

(VLD). On 4 December 2004, he was elected with just over 50 percent of the vote to a full term as chairman. Bart Somers was one of the three negotiators for the Open VLD during the 2007 Belgian government formation. After his party's defeat in the regional elections of 2009, he resigned as chairman of the

. In June 2016, the

European Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

adopted Bart Somers report on "''Combatting Radicalisation and Violent Extremism: Prevention mechanisms at local and regional level''". His opinion won cross-party support for its calls for more effective policing, for more cooperation between local, regional, national and European authorities, and for an approach based on respect for core principles. In October 2016, Bart Somers was elected as Leader of

. In February 2017, he received the "World Mayor Prize 2016", an election for the year's best mayor in the world. In October 2019, he became Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Living Together and Domestic Administration in the

Jambon Government The Jambon Government (''Regering-Jambon'') is the Flemish Government formed and sworn in on 2 October 2019, following the 2019 Belgian regional elections and replacing the interim Homans Government. On 30 September 2019, just over four months ...

Personal life

He was formerly married to Miet Bourlon (currently divorced) and he has two children, a girl Lieze and a boy Jan Klaas.

References

External links

* *
ALDE Group in the European Committee of the Regions (official website)
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Bart 1964 births Flemish politicians KU Leuven alumni Living people Members of the Belgian Federal Parliament Mayors of Mechelen Ministers-President of Flanders Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten politicians 21st-century Belgian politicians