Kris Peeters

Since becoming a Member of the European Parliament in the 2019 elections, Peeters has been serving on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. In addition to his committee assignments, he chairs the Parliament's delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

During the 2014 Belgian government formation Peeters was co-formateur along with Charles Michel (MR). Peeters was poised to become the new Prime Minister of Belgium. However, upon nominating Marianne Thyssen (also CD&V) as European Commissioner, his party already held a major political office. Consequently, Charles Michel became Prime Minister, and Kris Peeters became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs in the Michel Government.

During the 2006 municipal elections, Peeters ran for public office the first time in his career and was elected a member of the city council of his home town Puurs. In the 2007 Belgian federal elections, Peeters was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives but chose not to take his seat, instead he succeeded Yves Leterme as Minister-President of Flanders, as Leterme headed the CD&V coalition talks for a new Belgian government. Peeters also gave up his former competences to Hilde Crevits and took on the responsibilities for Institutional Affairs, Agriculture and Sea Fisheries, formerly belonging to Leterme, while keeping his own competence regarding Ports. He has been serving a second term as head of the Flemish government since the regional elections of 7 June 2009, with the additional competences of Institutional Affairs, Economy, Agriculture and Sea Fisheries.

Peeters served from 1991 to 1994 as Director of the NCMV research department. In 1994 he became Secretary-General of NCMV and when NCMV was reformed into the SME interest group UNIZO in 1999, he became its first managing director. In 2004, although not having been a candidate for public office at the 2004 regional elections, Peeters was asked to become a member of the Flemish Government. He resigned his position with UNIZO and became Flemish Minister for Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature.

After attending secondary school in Boom, Peeters studied law in Antwerp and obtained a law degree in 1986. In addition, he obtained a degree in taxation and accounting from Vlerick Business School in Ghent.

Kris Peeters (Dutch: [ˈkrɪs ˈpeːtərs] ; born 18 May 1962) is a Belgian politician and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party. Peeters was Minister-President of Flanders from 2007 until 2014 and was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Employment in the Michel Government. In 2019 he was elected as a member of the European Parliament.