Verhofstadt I Government

The Verhofstadt I Government was the federal government of Belgium from 12 July 1999 to 12 July 2003.

Verhofstadt I Government
Cabinet of Belgium (since 1830)
Date formed	12 July 1999
Date dissolved	12 July 2003
People and organisations
Head of state	Albert II of Belgium
Head of government	Guy Verhofstadt
Member party	Open Vld PRL PS sp.a Ecolo Agalev
Status in legislature	Purple-green coalition
History
Election(s)	1999
Predecessor	Dehaene II
Successor	Verhofstadt II

Parliamentary support of the government

It was the first government headed by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (VLD). It consisted of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), the French-speaking Liberal Reformist Party (PRL), the Flemish Socialist Party (SP), the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS), the Flemish green party Agalev and the French-speaking green party Ecolo. Because it comprised liberals, socialists and greens it was also known as a "purple-green" coalition.

It was the first liberal-led coalition in Belgium since 1938, as well as the first since 1958 that did not include a Christian Democratic party. It was also the only coalition in Belgian history to have included green parties.

Composition

Minister	Name	Party
Prime Minister	Guy Verhofstadt		VLD
Deputy Prime Minister - Employment	Laurette Onkelinx		PS
Deputy Prime Minister - Foreign Affairs	Louis Michel		PRL
Deputy Prime Minister - Budget, Social Integration and Social Economy	Johan Vande Lanotte		SP
Deputy Prime Minister - Mobility and Transport	Isabelle Durant		Ecolo
Deputy Prime Minister - Consumer Affairs, Public Health and Environment	Magda Aelvoet		Agalev
Interior	Antoine Duquesne		PRL
Social Affairs and Pensions	Frank Vandenbroucke		SP
Civil Service and Modernisation of the Public Authorities	Luc Van den Bossche		SP
Defence	André Flahaut		PS
Agriculture and Middle Classes	Jaak Gabriëls		VLD
Justice	Marc Verwilghen		VLD
Finance	Didier Reynders		PRL
Telecommunications and Public Enterprises and Participations	Rik Daems		VLD
Economy and Scientific Research	Rudy Demotte		PS
Secretary of State	Name	Party
Foreign Trade	Pierre Chevalier		VLD
Development Cooperation	Eddy Boutmans		Agalev
Energy and Sustainable Development	Olivier Deleuze		Ecolo

The Secretary of State for Foreign Trade and the Secretary of State for Development Cooperation were attached to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Secretary of State for Energy and Sustainable Development was attached to the Minister of Mobility and Transport.

Reshuffles

• 8 April 2000: Rudy Demotte resigns as Minister of Economy and Scientific Research and is replaced by Charles Picqué, who also becomes responsible for urban policy.
• 11 October 2000: Pierre Chevalier resigns as Secretary of State for Foreign Trade and is replaced by Annemie Neyts.
• 10 July 2001: Jaak Gabriëls resigns as Minister of Agriculture and Middle Classes. Rik Daems is charged with Middle Classes, Annemie Neyts is appointed as Minister attached to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and is charged with Agriculture.
• 28 August 2002: Magda Aelvoet resigns as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Public Health and Environment and is replaced by Jef Tavernier.
• 5 May 2003: Isabelle Durant and Olivier Deleuze resign, respectively, as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility and Transport and as Secretary of State for Energy and Sustainable Development. Laurette Onkelinx is charged with Mobility and Transport, Yvan Ylieff (PS) is appointed as Minister attached to the Minister of Scientific Research and Alain Zenner (PRL) is appointed as Secretary of State for Energy and Sustainable Development, attached to the Minister of Finance.

Actions

Some of the notable actions under this government include:

• Reform of the federal government administration ("Copernicus Reform")
• Fifth state reform
• Legalisation of euthanasia
• Legalisation of same-sex marriage
• Faster naturalisation of foreigners