Rudy Aernoudt

Rudy Aernoudt, Head of Cabinet of the EESC 2013

Rudy Aernoudt is a Belgian professor, writer, politician, economist and philosopher, born 5 November 1960 in Torhout.[1] Between 2013 and 2015 he was Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse.[2] He is professor 'corporate finance' at the Universities of Ghent and Nancy. He was among the first to openly oppose separatist tensions in Belgium and fought against corruption in both the north and the south of the country. He is also the only person to serve as Head of Cabinet at the European, Belgian, Walloon and Flemish levels. He has received several awards, including one for political courage and the prestigious award for democracy Aron-Condorcet.[3]

Professional career

Holding a Masters' Degree in economics from KU Leuven, European economics from the College of Europe and philosophy from KU Leuven, Rudy Aernoudt began his career as an official in the European Commission. He was mainly responsible for programs for access to finance. He has written several books and articles on corruption, its nature, its consequences and how to tackle and prevent it. In 2012 he published a novel (De Duivelszak[4]) about it.

He is one of the few Belgians to make a career on both sides of the linguistic border being alternately Deputy Head of Cabinet of Serge Kubla, MR Walloon Minister (Francophone liberal right) in 2001-2003 and then Head of Cabinet of Fientje Moerman, OpenVLD federal-level and then Flemish Minister (Dutch-speaking liberal right) in 2003-2006. He writes, following this experience and due to his convictions, the book which will make him known to the general public "Wallonia - Flanders, I love you, me neither" published in 2006.[5] In it, he seeks to dispel the different Flemish clichés on Wallonia and to demonstrate the relevance of the unity of Belgium. This book is also a response to the Warande manifesto, a publication by a group of Flemish businessmen and academics, aiming to demonstrate the relevance of Flemish independence from an economic point of view. The same year as he became Secretary General of the Flemish administration, following his departure from office and his appointment, he denounced embezzlement within his own cabinet with the Minister Fienje Moerman, who was forced to resign. Rudy Aernoudt followed up on this momentum by publishing the following year "Brussels, the unloved child" which insists on the advantages that Brussels offers to Belgium, deemed underexploited.[6]

2007 witnessed the EU crisis and the electoral victory of the cartel CD&V/NVA whose visions of the future of the country radically opposed to those of Rudy Aernoudt. He was thus abruptly let go following an interview published in Le Soir where he questioned the legitimacy of Yves Leterme to lead a reform of the state at the expense of the federal government. The Flemish Government stated that "any collaboration had become impossible". Rudy Aernoudt presented his version of events in "Adventures of a 'cabinettard'"[7] and, after losing the first trial,[8] gets the conviction of the Flemish government.[9]

From 2007 to 2010 he was a lecturer at the University of Liège of a course in Dutch entitled "Introduction to good governance" (Inleiding bestuur goed tot), whose neutrality was questioned by the Belgian Movement of Young Socialists.[10]

He was director-general of OLPC, a spin-off of MIT. Based on this experience, he became curator of TEDxBrussels (www.TEDxbrussels.eu).

Political career

Rudy Aernoudt in 2013

Rudy Aernoudt continued his political battle in 2008 by creating a bilingual movement, "België Anders/La Belgique Autrement" (Belgium differently), which organized a series of conferences. He speaks occasionally in different universities (Ghent, Brussels) and became director-general of OLPC, a spin-off from MIT.

In 2008, he created the LiDE party, which he left in 2009 to become, in November 2009, Co-Chair of the Popular Party, another political party that has enjoyed rapid success but was a victim of internal tensions. He wanted to make an alliance with the MR but the FDF vetoed by threatening to leave the MR. This did not prevent them from leaving the alliance later. Aernoudt is considered to be the architect of this separation. In 2009 he became co-Chairmain of the new People's Party. He was expelled from the party in late August 2010 after what appears to be an internal power struggle,[11] an exclusion whose regularity he often denies while denouncing what he sees as a drift of the party.[12] Modrikamen in turn was excluded in September 2010 by Aernoudt and co-disciples. Aernoudt was confirmed with an overwhelming majority of 28,000 votes but left active politics; at least in terms of political parties.

For his political positions Rudy Aernoudt has received several awards, among which the prestigious award of the French community Aron - Condorcet and the prize for political courage at Belgian level B+.

European civil service

He was at the basis of several venture capital actions in Europe. He co-founded EBAN, the European Business Angels network and for entrepreneurs he will always be considered as "the father of the Business Angel Networks in Europe" [13] In April 2013, he became the Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, the Frenchman Henri Malosse.[2] He thus became the only Belgian to have served as Head of Cabinet at the European, national (Belgian) and regional (Wallonia and Flanders) levels. According to the newspaper De Morgen, this fact deserves his nomination for the Guinness book of records.[14]

Publications

Rudy published around 30 books and 500+ articles and papers on politics, economics and philosophy. List of his books below:

References

  1. ↑ "Rudy Aernoudt: le sous-marin flamingant". FrancophonedeBruxelles.com. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  2. 1 2 "Rudy Aernoudt appelé à de hautes fonctions à l'Europe". RTBF.be. 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  3. ↑ http://www.lalibre.be/actu/belgique/jeteurs-de-pont-51b894efe4b0de6db9b053ce
  4. ↑ Aernoudt, Rudy; Driesmans, Erna (02/10/2012). De Duivelszak (in Dutch). Roularta Media Group. ISBN 9789086794584. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ↑ Aernoudt, Rudy (October 2006). Wallonie-Flandre ; Je t'aime moi non plus (in French). Vif éditions. ISBN 9789086790364.
  6. ↑ Aernoudt, Rudy (2007). Bruxelles : l'enfant mal aimé. (in French). Roularta Books/Vif Editions. ISBN 9054664673.
  7. ↑ Aernoudt, Rudy (2008-06-23). Peripeties d'un Cabinettard - l'Abus de Pouvoir (in French). Roularta Books. ISBN 9054664673.
  8. ↑ "Rudy Aernoudt, qui contestait son licenciement, a été débouté". 7sur7.be. 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Exclusif : Rudy Aernoudt gagne en appel contre la Flandre". Trends-Tendances.be. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  10. ↑ "La Libre Belgique: Le cours donné par Rudy Aernoudt à l'Ulg est-il neutre ?", RTBF and "Aernoudt enseigne à l’ULg « comment l’État gaspille votre argent »", Le Soir, 2010-06-24
  11. ↑ "Aernoudt évincé du PP !". La Dernière Heure. 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  12. ↑ "Aernoudt conteste son éviction et le "séparatisme" de Modrikamen". LaLibre.be. 2010-08-24. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  13. ↑ W. De Brouwer, 101 things I wish somebody had told me
  14. ↑ "Vlaming Rudy Aernoudt krijgt topfunctie in Europa". DeMorgen.be. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2014-04-21.

External links

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