Philippe Lamberts
MEP
Lamberts in 2020
Member of the European Parliament
Assumed office
14 July 2009
ConstituencyBelgium
Personal details
Born (1963-04-16) 16 April 1963
Brussels, Belgium
Political party Belgian:
Ecolo
 EU:
Greens–European Free Alliance
Alma materUniversité catholique de Louvain
Websitewww.philippelamberts.eu

Philippe Lamberts (born 14 March 1963) is a Belgian politician serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2009. He is a member of Ecolo, within the Greens–European Free Alliance.

Education and early career

Lamberts graduated as an engineer at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in 1986. From 1987 to 2009 he worked at IBM in a variety of positions, also as a manager. Carrying out the function of councillor between 1994 and 2006, Lamberts represented the French-speaking Green Party Ecolo in the local council of Anderlecht. Between 1999 and 2003 he was an adviser of the Vice-Prime Minister Isabelle Durant on foreign affairs and defence.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–present

Lamberts speaks at the European Parliament in 2019

Lamberts was the co-spokesperson of the European Green Party between 2006 and 2012. (first with Ulrike Lunacek, then with Monica Frassoni) and has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Ecolo party since 2009.[1] He has been leading the Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament since 2014, alongside successive co-chairs Rebecca Harms (2014–2016),[2] Ska Keller (2016–2022)[3] and Terry Reintke (since 2022). He is a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

As a member of ECON, Lamberts was credited with an amendment to the Fourth Capital Requirements Directive that capped bonus payments in the financial services to no more than 100% of their salary, or 200% with shareholder approval.[4] In 2015, he led calls for a special committee of inquiry into how EU Member States give special tax treatment to “national champions;”[5] he later became a member of the parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect.

From 2017, Lamberts served on the Parliament's so-called Brexit Steering Group, which worked under the aegis of the Conference of Presidents and to coordinates Parliament's deliberations, considerations and resolutions on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.[6] He is part of the European Internet Forum.[7]

In 2023, Lamberts organized a conference at the European Parliament called Beyond Growth. Thousands of attendees registered for the event, online and in person. With speakers at the highest level of decision making in the EU, including Ursula von der Leyen, the conference is aimed to normalize the debate about degrowth. Such a discussion could have been previously considered as too radical for mainstream European politics. Lamberts argued that growth defined by GDP is no longer a legitimate goal of policy makers, as it cannot be reconciled with the finite material resources of the Earth. Lamberts explained that his approach to the climate emergency, which leads him to advocate for a new approach to growth, is inspired by his Christian faith.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Philippe LAMBERTS (articles on the EGP website)". European Green Party. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  2. ↑ Dave Keating (June 11, 2014), Greens pick up new members and elect presidents European Voice.
  3. ↑ Greens-EFA Press Release (December 13, 2016), New Bureau of the Greens/EFA Group
  4. ↑ Clout of European Parliament is growing, Financial Times, 20 February 2014
  5. ↑ Carla Main (February 3, 2015), EU Tax Inquiry, BNP, Ma on Counterfeits: Compliance Bloomberg Business.
  6. ↑ Brexit Steering Group European Parliament.
  7. ↑ Members European Internet Forum.
  8. ↑ Kanter, James (8 May 2023). "The Man Bringing Beyond Growth to Brussels". EU Scream. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
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