MEET
BRUNO DE LILLE
Brussellover, husband, dad, LGBTI+, doer, cyclist, education, comic book lover, femanist, radio, West-Flemish, Greeter, fitness, superhero movies, Coke zero …
BRUNO DE LILLE
I’m a doer …
“I have a great sense of justice and I’m a doer. So when I see things that are not as they should be, I want to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Moreover, I think that you have to tackle the abuses in a structured way. Whether it comes to matters like discrimination, traffic safety, air pollution or young people dropping out of school, you shouldn’t help people in exchange for a little gratitude. You have to improve the system so that people no longer have to beg for things they are actually entitled to.
This is why I became a student representative on the school council at a young age, was active in LGBT youth movements, became involved in Brussels politics (Agalev/Groen), and am now the head of a large group of schools and kindergartens.
I was fortunate to be able to put my expertise, creativity and drive into it every time, which allowed me to do my work with full enthusiasm.
This is my story …
“When I was 18, I came to study in Brussels. I eventually fell in love with the city and made it my home. But it wasn’t blind love – my love for Brussels had to grow. In the beginning everything seems attractive and exciting, and there was so much going on here. Especially for a student who comes from the ever-quiet Wevelgem, it seems as if the city is always in motion, as if there is always something to do, always a party somewhere.
But after a while I also came in contact with the less pleasant aspects of Brussels. I was attacked once, and I was also hit in the face – just like that, for no reason at all. I started to feel unsafe here and when I got the chance to finish my studies in Antwerp, I moved to Antwerp.
“The strange thing was that I quickly became homesick in Antwerp. But I wasn’t pining for West Flanders; I was pining for Brussels. Was it because Brussels is much more of a real city, bigger and more cosmopolitan as well? Or because in the end I had the feeling that I was more welcome there and that I could help build the city? In Brussels, you get the impression that everyone comes from elsewhere, which means that no one can claim the city. It doesn’t belong to anyone, so it belongs to everyone. Whatever be the reason, I returned to Brussels after completing my studies. Maybe it didn’t make much sense at the time, because I was working in Kortrijk and could have just gone back to live in Wevelgem.
But I had found my love. And because it wasn’t a coup de foudre but a conscious choice, I don’t get so discouraged anymore. There are difficult moments in any relationship but if instead of running away you fight together to overcome them, the relationship often becomes even more worthwhile. Well, that is the feeling I have now when I choose Brussels. Will it last? You never know. But I feel very much at home here.
Opinions & Encounters
Opinion pieces, columns or chats with committed citizens … find it all right here.
Open brief aan alle regeringen in ons land: laat multinationals en advocatenkantoren onze democratie niet ondermijnen
In een open brief roepen Wouter Van Besien, Bruno De Lille, Wouter De Vriendt en Bart Staes van Groen alle regeringen van ons land op om vandaag op de intra-Belgische en morgen op de Europese onderhandelingen de ISDS-clausule te schrappen uit het vrijhandelsakkoord dat Eurocommissaris De Gucht wil afsluiten met Canada (CETA). ISDS laat immers toe dat buitenlandse investeerders de nationale rechtbanken omzeilen om staten aan te klagen wanneer die bedrijven vinden dat hun rechten (lees winsten) geschonden worden indien landen algemene beleidsmaatregelen uitvaardigen ten gunste van het milieu, volksgezondheid of sociale bescherming. Zo daagde tabaksgigant Philip Morris de regeringen van Uruguay en Australië voor zo’n arbitragetribunaal nadat ze blancosigarettenverpakkingen invoerden.
Veel, maar niet zielig (Zizo online)
In het Brusselse regeerakkoord komen LGBTQi’s enkel ter sprake als het gaat over de strijd tegen het gaybashen. Emancipatie, kansen tot ontplooiing van de dynamische beweging, economische kansen … het bestaat niet voor de Brusselse regering. En dat vond ik toch te beperkt, vandaar dat ik er deze column over schreef.
Samen in de file, ja gezellig? Of kiezen we toch voor het slimme rijden? (Ecozine)
We staan met zijn allen steeds vaker en langer in de file. Daar hebben we geen studies of enquêtes voor nodig. We merken het met zijn allen elke dag. Maar wat zijn nu de oplossingen voor dat mobiliteitsprobleem? Extra wegcapaciteit? Of moeten we toch een mentaliteitswijziging teweegbrengen en ons anders gaan verplaatsen? En hoe doen we dat. Ik maak een beknopte analyse van een aantal systemen en leg dan uit waarom het ‘slimme rijden’ (bijdragen per afgelegde afstand) wel eens dé oplossing zou kunnen zijn.
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Biography
Bruno De Lille was born in 1973 in Kortrijk, West Flanders, but after spending time in Brussels as a student, he fell in love with the city and decided to live and work there.
Bruno started his professional life in the late ‘90s as an editor and later as a presenter/producer at Radio 2.
In 1998 he became a member of Agalev (later renamed as Groen). Two years later, thanks to the municipal elections of 8th October 2000, he became Brussels’ Deputy Mayor for Flemish Affairs, Equal Opportunities and International Solidarity.
After the municipal elections at the end of 2006, the Greens ceased to be a part of the Brussels City board. Bruno was re-elected in 2006 and 2012, and served as a municipal councillor until he handed over the torch at the end of March 2013.
Thanks to an intense campaign for the regional elections in June 2009 with Bruno De Lille as the leader of the list, Groen doubled its seats in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. Groen joined the Brussels government and the VGC-college and Bruno De Lille was nominated by the party as Secretary of State for Mobility, Public Service, Equal Opportunities & Administrative Simplification. As a board member of the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), Bruno De Lille took charge of Culture, Youth, Sports & Civil Service.
In the elections of May 2014, Groen increased its share of votes from 11% to almost 18% on the Dutch-speaking side. Once again, a new seat was added, as a result of which the party now had no less than 3 Members of Parliament in Brussels. However, the government was ultimately formed as a coalition of mainly losing parties, and Groen ended up in the opposition. As leader of the Green Group, Bruno De Lille gave the opposition an intense but constructive voice.
In October 2018, from the last place on the Ecolo-Green list, Bruno was again directly elected in the Brussels municipal council. Ecolo-Groen is now part of the local majority and enters the City Board.
With the elections of May 2019, Bruno De Lille has bid adieu to active politics as a list pusher for the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
Since 1 September 2020, he has been General Director of the non-profit association Sint Goedele Brussel, which at the time included 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.
This is my story …
“When I was 18, I came to study in Brussels. I eventually fell in love with the city and made it my home. But it wasn’t blind love – my love for Brussels had to grow. In the beginning everything seems attractive and exciting, and there was so much going on here. Especially for a student who comes from the ever-quiet Wevelgem, it seems as if the city is always in motion, as if there is always something to do, always a party somewhere.
But after a while I also came in contact with the less pleasant aspects of Brussels. I was attacked once, and I was also hit in the face – just like that, for no reason at all. I started to feel unsafe here and when I got the chance to finish my studies in Antwerp, I moved to Antwerp.
“The strange thing was that I quickly became homesick in Antwerp. But I wasn’t pining for West Flanders; I was pining for Brussels. Was it because Brussels is much more of a real city, bigger and more cosmopolitan as well? Or because in the end I had the feeling that I was more welcome there and that I could help build the city? In Brussels, you get the impression that everyone comes from elsewhere, which means that no one can claim the city. It doesn’t belong to anyone, so it belongs to everyone. Whatever be the reason, I returned to Brussels after completing my studies. Maybe it didn’t make much sense at the time, because I was working in Kortrijk and could have just gone back to live in Wevelgem.
But I had found my love. And because it wasn’t a coup de foudre but a conscious choice, I don’t get so discouraged anymore. There are difficult moments in any relationship but if instead of running away you fight together to overcome them, the relationship often becomes even more worthwhile. Well, that is the feeling I have now when I choose Brussels. Will it last? You never know. But I feel very much at home here.
A heart for Brussels …
I am the General Director of Sint Goedele Brussels, a non-profit organisation covering 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.
For the first 20 years of my career, I mainly helped shape Brussels as a City Councillor, Member of Parliament, Deputy Mayor and Secretary of State. I took up each of these roles with enthusiasm and energy. And no matter how difficult it was, I was always happy to do it – because in politics you have an impact and can potentially improve the lives of a lot of people.
But after 20 years of serving Brussels, it was time for me to pass the torch. And so I’m devoting my expertise, my creativity and my drive to that wonderful Brussels educational network.
In my spare time I am an active LGBTI+ activist. If you want me as a speaker or panel member, or if you just want to debate about Equal Opportunities / Rights for LGBTI+ persons, I will be happy to start the conversation.
Opinions & Encounters
Opinion pieces, columns or chats with committed citizens … find it all right here.
Anton Van Assche & Nancy Van Espen: “Vandaag is men bij Unizo overtuigd dat we Brussel niet mogen loslaten”
Anton Van Assche en Nancy Van Espen werken voor Unizo, de Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers. Ik praat met hen over post-start ondersteuning, autoluwe winkelstraten en vuilnisophaling.Het hoofdkantoor van Unizo bevindt zich sinds begin dit jaar vlakbij het kanaal: in...
Anne Desprechins & Alain Sieuw: “De Brusselse stedenbouw is een kakafonie”
De Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Brussel heeft een opleiding Stedenbouw waar studenten van over de hele wereld de openbare ruimte leren vorm geven. Anne Desprechins en Alain Sieuw zijn de drijvende krachten achter de richting en dus praat ik met hen...
Vind ik niet leuk (Zizo online)
Vorige week was ik in Tampere, Finland. Ik mocht er spreken over de manier waarop Brussel het migratie-vraagstuk aanpakte. Ik was amper gearriveerd, had net mijn gsm aangezet en ik kreeg al via Facebook een berichtje "... en doe ze de groeten daar in Finland"....
Chille Deman: "Tolerantie vind ik een afschuwelijk woord"
Als er ooit iemand de LGBT-geschiedenis van Brussel zal schrijven, dan kan hij of zij niet om Chille Deman heen. Zowel in Tels Quels, het Regenbooghuis als de Belgian Pride nam hij het voortouw en maakte hij tientallen mensen enthousiast voor meer gelijke rechten voor...
Biography
Bruno De Lille was born in 1973 in Kortrijk, West Flanders, but after spending time in Brussels as a student, he fell in love with the city and decided to live and work there.
Bruno started his professional life in the late ‘90s as an editor and later as a presenter/producer at Radio 2.
In 1998 he became a member of Agalev (later renamed as Groen). Two years later, thanks to the municipal elections of 8th October 2000, he became Brussels’ Deputy Mayor for Flemish Affairs, Equal Opportunities and International Solidarity.
After the municipal elections at the end of 2006, the Greens ceased to be a part of the Brussels City board. Bruno was re-elected in 2006 and 2012, and served as a municipal councillor until he handed over the torch at the end of March 2013.
Thanks to an intense campaign for the regional elections in June 2009 with Bruno De Lille as the leader of the list, Groen doubled its seats in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. Groen joined the Brussels government and the VGC-college and Bruno De Lille was nominated by the party as Secretary of State for Mobility, Public Service, Equal Opportunities & Administrative Simplification. As a board member of the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), Bruno De Lille took charge of Culture, Youth, Sports & Civil Service.
In the elections of May 2014, Groen increased its share of votes from 11% to almost 18% on the Dutch-speaking side. Once again, a new seat was added, as a result of which the party now had no less than 3 Members of Parliament in Brussels. However, the government was ultimately formed as a coalition of mainly losing parties, and Groen ended up in the opposition. As leader of the Green Group, Bruno De Lille gave the opposition an intense but constructive voice.
In October 2018, from the last place on the Ecolo-Green list, Bruno was again directly elected in the Brussels municipal council. Ecolo-Groen is now part of the local majority and enters the City Board.
With the elections of May 2019, Bruno De Lille has bid adieu to active politics as a list pusher for the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
Since 1 September 2020, he has been General Director of the non-profit association Sint Goedele Brussel, which at the time included 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.