Gaston C. S. A. Geens (10 June 1931 – 5 June 2002) was a Belgian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

minister-president of Flanders The minister-president of Flanders () is the Head of government, head of the Flemish Government, which is the executive branch of the Flemish Region and Flemish Community.See the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. The incumbent o ...

. Geens received a Master in Law from the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

as well as a licentiate of economy. In 1961 Geens, together with

Frank Swaelen Frank Swaelen (23 March 1930 – 23 December 2007) was a Belgian Christian Democratic politician and member of the Christian People's Party (CVP). He was born in Antwerp. In 1968, he became a member of the Chamber of Representatives. He b ...

and

Leo Tindemans Leonard Clemence "Leo" Tindemans (; 16 April 1922 – 26 December 2014) was a Belgian politician. He served as the prime minister of Belgium from 25 April 1974 until he resigned as minister on 20 October 1978. He was a member of the Christian D ...

, was part of a think tank of the CVP. In 1972 he became a member of the party leadership. Geens was elected a member of the city council of Winksele in 1970. After Winksele's fusion with

Herent Herent () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages and former municipalities of Herent proper, Veltem-Beisem and Winksele. On January 1, 2016, Herent had a total population of ...

in 1976 he became a member of that city council. In 1974 in a government led by Tindemans, Geens became Secretary of State for the Budget and Science. In 1976 he was promoted to minister but with the same competences. He became

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

in the second Tindemans cabinet, but this coalition fell over the

Egmont pact The Egmont pact (; ; ) of 1977 is an agreement on the reform of Belgium into a federal state and on the relations between the linguistic communities in the country. The pact was not carried out due to the resignation of the government, but important ...

. He remained

under

Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (, ; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.
Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 201 ...

and in the first two coalitions led by

Wilfried Martens Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian Democratic and Flemish, Christian People ...

. During the third government led by Martens he again became minister of the budget. During Martens IV, Geens became minister-president of the Flemish Executive which he led until 1992. Geens gave Flanders a new economical identity, by taking the initiative for the ''Derde Industriële Revolutie in Vlaanderen'' (Third industrial revolution in Flanders), Flanders Technology and the Flemish Aerospace Group (FLAG). Gaston Geens was seventy when he died at home due to

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

. On 30 May 2009, a statue of Geens was unveiled in

Aarschot Aarschot () is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On 1 January 2019, Aarschot had a total popu ...

Herman Van Rompuy Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy (; born 31 October 1947) is a Belgian politician who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2008 to 2009, and later as the first permanent President of the European Council from 2009 to 2014. Van Rompuy, a ...

.Gaston Geens krijgt standbeeld in Aarschot at hln.be
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References

External links

Gaston Geens
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ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures

Archives of Gaston Geens
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ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures

Archives of Gaston Geens
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ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures
1931 births 2002 deaths Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Ministers of state of Belgium Ministers of finance of Belgium Christian Democratic and Flemish politicians Minister-presidents of Flanders People from Flemish Brabant {{Flanders-politician-stub