View source for Freya Van den Bossche

{{Short description|Belgian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{family name hatnote|Van den Bossche|Bossche|lang=Dutch}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Freya Van den Bossche
| image       = Freya Van den Bossche.jpg
 
| office       = [[Speaker of the Flemish Parliament]]
| term_start  = 8 January 2025

| predecessor = Liesbeth Homans
| successor   = 
| birth_name  =
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1975|3|26}}
| birth_place = [[Ghent]], Belgium
| death_date  = <!-- {{death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_place =
| nationality = Belgian
| known_for   =
| spouse      = Tobias Wurm (1999–2005)<br>Dennis Van de Weghe (2006–2007)<br>Willem Wannyn (2008–2015)<br>Eva Vettenberg (2017?–)
| children    = Ariane, Billie, Moses
| occupation  = politician
}}
'''Freya Van den Bossche''' (born 26 March 1975) is a [[Belgium|Belgian]] ([[Flanders|Flemish]]) politician and daughter of prominent former Belgian politician [[Luc Van den Bossche]]. She is member of the [[Socialist Party - Different|SP.a]] [[political party]], and she was [[Deputy Prime Minister]] and Minister of Budget and Consumer Protection in the [[Belgian federal government]]. She was the youngest ever minister appointed in Belgium.

== Education and move into politics ==
Freya Van den Bossche followed her secondary education at the Royal Atheneum Voskenslaan in Ghent. She studied law from 1993 to 1995 at the [[University of Ghent]], but did not obtain a degree, and ultimately graduated from the University of Ghent with a master's degree in Communication Sciences in 1999. From 1996 to 1997, she studied at the University of Amsterdam as part of an exchange programme.

In 2006, while she was vice-premier in the federal government, ''[[Knack (magazine)|Knack]]'', a prominent Flemish magazine in Belgium alleged that she had not written the obligatory [[thesis]] for her master's degree herself. Rather, due to the complexity of the thesis she submitted, ''Knack'' journalist {{Interlanguage link|Koen Meulenaere|nl}} alleged that the thesis had actually been written by {{Interlanguage link|Frank De Moor|nl}}, also a former ''Knack'' journalist and a friend of Freya Van den Bossche's father, the prominent socialist politician, [[Luc Van den Bossche]]. ''Knack'' posted a version of her thesis online, but offered no other proof. Freya Van den Bossche subsequently submitted a criminal complaint against Koen Meulenaere for slander and defamation.<ref>{{cite news|author=Auteur: Bart DOBBELAERE en Frans DE SMET |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=GCTTORA0 |title=Van den Bossche dient klacht in tegen Knack |newspaper=[[Het Nieuwsblad]] |language=nl|accessdate=2014-07-12}}</ref> In response to a question posed by the Flemish newspaper ''[[Het Laatste Nieuws]]'' on whether she did in fact write her thesis, Ms. Van den Bossche replied: "Would that make a difference? I can show you my notes because I have nothing to hide". Knack ultimately removed the thesis from its website and ceased coverage of the matter.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gva.be/Archief/guid/knack-haalt-thesis-freya-van-den-bossche-van-website.aspx?artikel=def43b1f-ac2b-4def-a539-308118b77196 |title=Knack haalt thesis Freya Van den Bossche van website |newspaper=[[Gazet van Antwerpen]] |language=nl|date=2006-06-16 |accessdate=2014-07-12}}</ref>

From 1999 to 2000, she found employment as an Attachée, responsible for communication and drug-related problems, of the then Mayor of Ghent [[Frank Beke]].

Freya first came to national attention in Belgium in a televised debating competition between candidates in a municipal election who were the children of well-known politicians.

== Federal minister ==
She was quickly promoted and was put on her Social Democrat Party's list in East Flanders for the federal parliament in 2003, attracting 105,000 votes. On 12 July 2003, she was appointed the youngest minister in Belgium's history<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/europe/gender/story.html|title= HER OPPORTUNITY: Belgian Environment, Sustainable Development and Consumer affiars Minister Van den Bossche entered parliament with gender quota's help|first= Amanda |last=Ripley|authorlink=Amanda Ripley|date=14 September 2003|accessdate=18 November 2023}}</ref> appointed aged 28 as Minister of Environment, Consumer Affairs and Sustainable Development in Government Verhofstadt II. In July 2004, she became responsible for Work and Consumer Affairs. After the departure of [[Johan Vande Lanotte]] in October 2005, she was again promoted, this time to become the nation's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget and Consumer Affairs. She lost that position in 2008, when the government fell.

In a recent poll she was rated as the seventh most popular politician in Belgium. A Spanish newspaper included her in an internet poll of the world's most beautiful female politicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://listas.20minutos.es/?do=show&id=66425&c=1233508233 |title=Ranking de ¿Quién es la política más linda del mundo? – Listas en 20minutos.es |publisher=Listas.20minutos.es |accessdate=2014-07-12}}</ref>

Time magazine wrote about her:<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/europe/gender/story.html|title= HER OPPORTUNITY: Belgian Environment, Sustainable Development and Consumer affiars Minister Van den Bossche entered parliament with gender quota's help|first= Amanda |last=Ripley|authorlink=Amanda Ripley|date=14 September 2003}}</ref>

''But by the time she ran for national parliament as a Flemish Socialist (SP.A) candidate in 2003, the law required that both sexes be represented in the top three slots on every party list – so her name was placed in a vote-getting position no novice male would have enjoyed. And part of her popularity, it must be said, has to do with her bright blue eyes and throaty voice. Van den Bossche regularly pops up on "sexiest Belgians" lists. "Some people assume I'm here because of my looks or because of parity laws," she says. "My job is to prove them wrong. Maybe these factors have helped, but I hope that in four years, people will be talking about my policies."''

== Personal life ==
Van den Bossche has two daughters, Ariane (born 1999) and Billie (born on 30 June 2005), and one son, Moses (born on 29 November 2009). On 29 December 2006, Van den Bossche married<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9IHeNZbhsc |title=News report of Van den Bossche wedding |via=YouTube |accessdate=2014-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418062337/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9IHeNZbhsc |archive-date=18 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Dennis Van de Weghe from Ghent, one of her former cabinet colleagues. The marriage did not last long, with the couple separating shortly after. She also has a son with {{Ill|Willem Wallyn|nl}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hln.be/nieuws/binnenland/freya-van-den-bossche-bevallen-van-zoon-moses~a66c7f80/|title=Freya Van den Bossche bevallen van zoon Moses|work=[[Het Laatste Nieuws]]|date=26 November 2009|language=nl-be}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.gva.be/Archief/guid/knack-haalt-thesis-freya-van-den-bossche-van-website.aspx?artikel=def43b1f-ac2b-4def-a539-308118b77196 gva.be]
* [http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=GCTTORA0 nieuwsblad.be]
* [http://www.oecd.org/speaker/0,3438,en_21571361_35042830_35281116_1_1_1_1,00.html Biography of Van den Bossche]

{{Navigation sp.a}}

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[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Belgian women politicians]]
[[Category:Belgian LGBTQ politicians]]
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[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Belgium]]
[[Category:Ghent University alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the 51st Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Members of the 52nd Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Politicians from Ghent]]
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