Who is Cieltje Van Achter?
Cieltje van Achter was born in Asse on January 11, 1979 and grew up in Halle. She obtained a law degree from KU Leuven and studied Development Cooperation in Bologna and International Politics in Washington. After her studies, she started a career as a lawyer in Brussels.
After a few years she switched to the Flemish government, where she started working in the ‘International Flanders’ department. She helped write, among other things, the European and Flemish policy for control of the arms trade.
Daughter-in-law
Cieltje Van Achter married Karel Bourgeois, son of N-VA founder Geert Bourgeois. According to Van Achter, it was the latter who persuaded her to stand as a candidate for the elections for the Brussels Parliament.
She joined the assembly in 2014 and was elected again in 2019 and in 2024. In parliament, she focused on culture, among other things. Van Achter opposed the government’s intention to start a new museum for contemporary art in the former Citroën garage. According to her, there was no need for a regional museum in addition to the federal museums in the capital.
Mobility
She also followed mobility closely. As a member of the special committee for investigating the condition of the Brussels tunnels, she launched a website on which Brussels residents could follow the committee’s work.
After the installation of the new Brussels government in July 2019, she expressed disappointment that there was no major integration in the region. According to her, the municipalities retained too many powers regarding, among other things, mobility, housing and the police. For N-VA, the police zones in Brussels must at least be merged.
In the most recent Brussels legislature, she was very critical of the region’s financial policy. The Court of Audit refused three times to pass judgment on the accounts because it had received too little information to do so. Van Achter asked for the resignation of Finance Minister Sven Gatz (Open VLD).
Uber commission
She was also chair of the special Uber committee of the Brussels Parliament, which investigated the frequent contacts between the multinational Uber and the Brussels government in the preparation of the reform of taxi legislation. The committee could not identify any illegal practices. Van Achter was vice-chairman of the party for four years, together with Lorin Parys. She gave up that position in 2021, because it cannot be combined with the party leadership.
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