{{Short description|Belgian politician (born 1972)}} {{Multiple issues| {{Update|date=March 2017}} {{BLP sources|date=July 2010}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Wouter Van Besien | image = Wouter Van Besien.jpg | caption = Van Besien in 2014 | image_size = | education = {{plainlist| * University of Leuven * University of Hull }} | office2 = Member of the Flemish Parliament<br />for Antwerp | term_start2 = 2014 | term_end2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1972|11|1}} | birth_place = Bonheiden, Belgium | death_date = | death_place = | birth_name = | party = Agalev/Groen | spouse = | signature = | website = }} '''Wouter Van Besien''' (born 1 November 1972) is a Belgian politician. From 25 October 2009 until 15 November 2014, he was the chairman of the ecologist party Groen.
== Early life == Van Besien was born 1 November 1972 in Bonheiden.
He received a master's degree in Sociology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and obtained a second master's degree in Developing Area Studies at the University of Hull (United Kingdom).
== Career == He participated as a youngster in Flemish scouting and became 1998 the national secretary of the Chiro-youth in Flanders.
In 2001, he started working as a member of Agalev in Antwerp. He has been municipal civic office worker in Borgerhout since 2006 and followed Mieke Vogels as president of the Flemish green party Groen. In 2006, he became a member of the district council of (district of Antwerp).
In 2009, Van Besien became chairman of Groen.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Wouter Van Besien is nieuwe voorzitter van Groen! |url=http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Belgie/article/detail/1020380/2009/10/07/Wouter-Van-Besien-is-nieuwe-voorzitter-van-Groen.dhtml |work=Het Laatste Nieuws |date=7 October 2009 |accessdate=24 June 2010 }}</ref> In 2010, he was re-elected as only candidate in a statute congress of Groen for four years, with a score of 94%. He did not run again when his mandate ended on 15 November 2014 and was succeeded by Meyrem Almaci.
In September 2023, multiple Belgian news sources<ref>{{Cite web |title=Voormalig Groen-voorzitter Wouter Van Besien stopt met politiek |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20230925_91910865}}</ref> reported that Van Besien ended political activity in Antwerpen as a city councilor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2023-09-25 |title=Voormalig Groen-voorzitter Wouter Van Besien stopt nu ook met politiek in de stad Antwerpen |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/09/25/wouter-van-besien-groen-stopt-nu-ook-met-politiek-in-de-stad-a/ |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}}</ref>
==Career== *2006 – 2012: 20px '''Member of the district council''' of Borgerhout *2013 - : 20px '''Member of the city council''' of Antwerp *2009 – 2014: 20px '''Chairman''' of ''Groen'' *2014 – 2019: 20px '''Member of the Flemish Parliament''' for Antwerp
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category-inline}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Besien, Wouter Van}} Category:Groen (political party) politicians Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:KU Leuven alumni Category:Alumni of the University of Hull Category:21st-century Belgian politicians