Frans Baert (25 November 1925 – 15 July 2022) was Belgian-Flemish lawyer and politician. He was a member of the

Volksunie People's Union ( nl, Volksunie, VU) was a Flemish nationalist political party in Belgium, formed in 1954 as a successor to the Christian Flemish People's Union. The Volksunie defined itself as a big tent and catch-all party that combined support ...

party, before joining the

Sociaal-Liberale Partij Sociaal-Liberale Partij (; SLP; Dutch for Social Liberal Party) was a Belgian Flemish political party formed after dissolution of the moderate nationalist People's Union (''Volksunie'') party. Prior to 19 April 2008 it was known as Spirit, and ...

Life and career

Baert was born in Grembergen on 25 November 1925. He died on 15 July 2022, at the age of 96.

Frans Baert's doctrine

Baert was the founder of a methodology, known in Dutch as Baertdoctrine; regarding

Flemish independence The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promo ...

. This doctrine, taken by some Flemish politicians, is a step-by-step strategy in order to get an independent Flemish State through democratic reforms of Belgium. Each reform must follow three basic rules in order to reach a Flemish independence at the end: # Each reform must be a significant step towards greater autonomy. # Each reform should not prevent further reforms. # Inside each reform, the price paid to the other negotiator should not be unreasonable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baert, Frans 1925 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Belgian lawyers People's Union (Belgium) politicians Sociaal-Liberale Partij politicians Members of the Senate (Belgium) Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the Flemish Parliament People from Dendermonde