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.
Brussel is de Far West niet (De Standaard)
Mensen zouden zonder angst de straat op moeten kunnen, ook in Brussel. En vaak kan dat ook, zegt Bruno De Lille . We moeten de feiten onder ogen zien, maar ook nuance aanbrengen waar nodig. Het volledige artikel leest u op De Standaard.be
Les hommes de la rue: een kwestie van respect ?
Vanavond zendt Volt de reportage ‘Hommes de la Rue’ uit. Daarin gaan 2 jonge homomannen hand in hand op stap door Brussel en Antwerpen. Met een verborgen camera filmden ze de reactie van de omstaanders. En die waren blijkbaar niet al te positief. Eigenlijk heb ik geen...
De Brusselnorm volgens Muyters
Blijkbaar slaagt de Vlaamse Overheid er niet in om Brussel te voorzien van degelijke sportinfrastructuren. Getuigt het dan niet van goed bestuur dat je probeert om er lokaal het beste van te maken? Maar wat zegt Muyters in De Standaard? "Brussel klaagt continu over...
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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.
The Lady of the (geoptimaliseerde) Ring
U hebt het vorige week wellicht gehoord: de Brusselse regering is niet bepaald enthousiast over het Milieu Effecten Rapport van de Vlaamse Regering over de verbreding van de Ring rond Brussel. Pardon, het MER over de “optimalisatie” (want dat klinkt positiever) van de...
Betrapt door Alain Berenboom
We zijn betrapt. Alain Berenboom heeft ontdekt dat Pascal Smet, Brigitte Grouwels en ikzelf elke week samenkomen in onze eigen TufTufclub om maatregelen te verzinnen om Brussel te bevrijden van de fietsers (Le Soir van 28 en 29 januari). Is het Pascal die zijn mond...
Zesde staatshervorming: “Stap vooruit voor Brussel”.
De groenen kunnen best leven met het Brusselakkoord dat de federale onderhandelaars zopas op tafel legden. “Geen revolutie,” geven Bruno De Lille en Bart Dhondt van Groen! toe, maar “een akkoord dat alles in zich heeft om daadwerkelijk een verschil te maken.” De zesde...
Elke dag coming-out dag …
Het is de internationale coming-out-dag. Geen idee wie die dag uitgevonden heeft. Maar het is sowieso nuttig zo’n dag te hebben. Het is goed om geregeld te herinneren aan het feit dat holebi-zijn nog altijd niet volledig aanvaard is en dat veel holebi’s nog altijd...
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.