Hendrik Jules Joseph "Rik" Daems (born 18 August 1959) is a Belgian painter, wine trader and politician who served as the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2020 to 2022, a 70-year-old body bringing together parliamentarians from 47 nations of the Council of Europe.[1] He is a former member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) and member of the city council of Leuven.
Rik Daems | |
|---|---|
 Daems in 2021 | |
| Born | Hendrik Jules Joseph Daems 18 August 1959 |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | politician |
| Spouse | Sophie Pécriaux |
Early life and education
editRik Daems' father, Jos Daems, was a senator and Secretary of State for the Party for Freedom and Progress (PVV). Rik Daems studied Latin and mathematics at the Keerbergen high school (1977). Afterwards he studied at the Solvay Business School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Political career
editIn addition to his role in national politics, Daems has been a member of the Belgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2007, and led the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe – the third largest of the assembly's five political groups –- from 2017 until his election as president. In 2019, he was the assembly's rapporteur on the activities of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)[2] as well as on minimum standards for electoral systems.[3]
Recognition
edit- 2014 : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Leopold II.[4]
References
edit- ^ http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-en.asp?newsid=7754&lang=2 [bare URL]
- ^ "Is the EBRD's model of promoting democracy through investment having any effect?" (Press release). Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Setting minimum standards for electoral systems to ensure free and fair elections" (Press release). Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Koninklijk Besluit nationale orden bij koninklijke besluiten van 26 mei 2014 zijn de hierna vermelde leden van het Europees Parlement bevorderd of benoemd : Leopoldsorde grootofficier mevr. Durant, Isabelle, ondervoorzitster van het Europees Parlement de heer Belet, Ivo". etaamb.be.
External links
edit Media related to Rik Daems at Wikimedia Commons