Etienne Schouppe

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Etienne Schouppe (2010)

Etienne Adolf Schouppe (born July 24, 1942 in Denderleeuw ) is a Belgian politician of the Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V). Before entering politics, he was the managing administrator of the Belgian Railway Company (NMBS / SNCB). Schouppe was Senator from 2003 to 2010 and Federal State Secretary for Mobility from 2008 to 2011. At the local level, Etienne Schouppe was mayor of Liedekerke for eleven years . In 2010 he announced his resignation from politics, but again met briefly as a senator from 2012 to 2014.

Life

Belgian railway company

Etienne Schouppe joined the NMBS / SNCB in 1963 after a brief experience in an insurance company, studied at the same time at the Erasmus Handelshogeschool in Brussels and in 1967 received his diploma in business and finance. He then rose within the railway company and was finally promoted to general director in 1986 and executive administrator in 1991. This office gave him access to a number of international mandates, including the chairmanship of the Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) (2002 to 2003). During his time at the helm of the NMBS / SNCB, Schouppe pushed ahead with upgrading the Belgian rail network for high-speed lines .

The end of his career with the railway company was heralded at the beginning of the 2000s when Isabelle Durant ( Ecolo ), Minister for Transport and Mobility in the Verhofstadt I government under Guy Verhofstadt ( VLD ), criticized the railway company's opaque accounts and enormous debt . A tug-of-war between Etienne Schouppe and the government ensued, which ended with the government restructuring the railway company while looking for a new managing director. In 2002 the NMBS / SNCB subsidiary ABX Logistics was partially privatized and Schouppe was appointed Executive Chairman after he had renounced his own successor at NMBS / SNCB . However, due to ABX's financial difficulties, the new NMBS / SNCB board of directors decided to replace Schouppe from February 2003.

Schouppe justified his entry into federal politics in 2003, among other things, by saying that he felt badly treated by Belgian politics.

Political career

Etienne Schouppe first came into contact with politics during his time at NMBS / SNCB. In 1975 he was advisor on railway issues in the cabinet of Minister Jos Chabert (CVP) and even rose to head of cabinet in 1986 under State Secretary Paula D'Hondt (CVP).

Schouppe made his leap into federal politics in the 2003 elections, in which he was elected to the Senate for CD&V . There he sat in the opposition until 2007. When CD&V and its cartel partner N-VA were able to win the federal elections in 2007 and party chairman Jo Vandeurzen moved to the transitional government of Verhofstadt III as Minister of Justice , the provisional chairmanship of CD&V went to Schouppe on December 20, 2007. However, he had to give up this internal party office on March 20, 2008 after he had been appointed federal state secretary for mobility in the Leterme I government under Prime Minister Yves Leterme (CD&V). He also held this position in the successor governments of Van Rompuy and Leterme II until 2011.

At the local level, Schouppe has been a member of the Liedekerke municipal council since 1977 . From 1983 to 1988 he was active as a lay judge in his community and from 1989 to 2000 as mayor.

In the early federal elections in 2010, Etienne Schouppe was unable to defend his place in the Senate despite a good personal result. After the CD&V party leadership announced that the office of co-opted senator would go to Peter Van Rompuy , son of the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy (CD&V), Schouppe announced in July 2010 that he would end his political career. When Van Rompuy entered the Flemish Parliament in 2012 , the place of co-opted senator was finally awarded to Schouppe. In the federal elections on May 25, 2014 Etienne Schouppe did not run for office anymore.

At the end of July 2010, Schouppe was charged with possible insider trading (he had sold shares in two banking companies during the financial crisis from 2007 , shortly before they had to seek support from the Belgian state and their share price fell significantly).

Overview of political offices

Web links

Individual evidence

Commons : Etienne Schouppe  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  1. ↑ Lesoir.be (archive): Projet de révision du contrat de gestion. Isabelle Durant dicte une nouvelle conduite à la SNCB (November 3, 1999); Isabelle Durant veut un rapport circonstancié sur l'emploi de la dotation de l'Etat. Un audit de la SNCB confié à la Cour des comptes (March 7, 2000); Une big moins-value for the SNCB. Nouveau bras de fer entre Durant et Schouppe (November 27, 2000) (French)
  2. ↑ Standaard.be: Dossier Hervorming van de NMBS ( Memento of the original from January 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (ndl.)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.standaard.be
  3. ↑ Lalibre.be: Etienne Schouppe n'est pas candidat (May 4, 2002) (French)
  4. ↑ Lalibre.be: ABX: Schouppe poussé vers la sortie (November 14, 2002) (French)
  5. ↑ Lalibre.be: "Jouer le match retour sur le terrain politique" (April 18, 2003) (French)
  6. ↑ Nieuwsblad.be: Schouppe stops ermee (July 1, 2010) (ndl.)
  7. ↑ Lalibre.be: Etienne Schouppe inculpé de délit d'initié (July 28, 2010) (French)
personal data
SURNAME Schouppe, Etienne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schouppe, Etienne Adolf (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian executive manager of the railway company and politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Denderleeuw