Eddy Baldewijns

Baldewijns was born on 22 April 1945 in Borlo into a farming family.^[1][2] In 1966 he graduated from the Provinciale Normaalschool teaching college in Tienen with a major in French and history.^[2] He taught French at the Rijksnormaalschool in Hasselt from 1967 to 1977.^[2]

Baldewijns was a member of the Belgian Socialist Party and its successors, the Flemish Socialist Party and Socialist Party Different.^[2] He was chairman of the party's local branch in Gingelom from 1976 to 1988 and chairman of the cantonal branch in Sint-Truiden from 1977 to 1994.^[2] He was also a vice-chairman of the provincial branch in Limburg and a member of the party's national executive for many years.^[2]

Baldewijns was a member of the municipal council in Borlo from 1977 to 1976 and its successor Gingelom from 1977 to 2004.^[2][3] He was mayor of Gingelom from 1989 to 2004.^[2][3] He was also a member of the provincial council in Limburg from March 1974 to April 1977.^[2][3]

Baldewijns was a member of the Dutch Cultural Community and its successors, the Flemish Council and the Flemish Parliament, from May 1977 to July 1995.^[4] With his background, Baldewijns became the Flemish socialists education expert.^[2] He was one of the key figures behind the establishment of the Autonomous Council for Community Education (Autonome Raad van het Gemeenschapsonderwijs, ARGO).^[2] He was a member of the Flemish Council's education committee for many years.^[2][4] He was Chairman of the Flemish Council (Voorzitter Vlaamse Raad) from January 1994 to June 1995.^[2][4]

Following the first direct election to the Flemish Parliament in 1995, Baldewijns was appointed Minister of Public Works, Transport and Spatial Planning in the government of Minister-President Luc Van den Brande.^[4][5] As minister, Baldewijns put an end to the toleration of building regulation violations and had several illegally built houses demolished.^[2] He also replaced the ad-hoc changes to the regional plans by decree and instead drew up the Spatial Structure Plan Flanders [nl] (RSV) in 1997.^[2] In September 1998 he was promoted to Minister of Education and Civil Service Affairs.^[4][5]

Baldewijns represented Hasselt in the Chamber of Representatives from April 1977 to May 1995 and Hasselt-Tongeren-Maaseik from June 1999 to December 1999.^[1] He was an alternate member of the Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Council from November 1999 to March 2000.^[4] In December 1999 he was appointed Deputy Secretary-General for Benelux.^[1][6]

Baldewijns was chairman of Council for Community Education [nl] (RAGO) from 2008 to 2018.^[7][8] He is a Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold and has a Civil Medal 1st class.^[1] The Eddy Baldewijns Centre for Reading, Information and Multimedia (Centrum voor Lectuur, Informatie en Multimedia Eddy Baldewijns) in Gingelom is named after Baldewijns.^[7]